Rising of the Fallen
by Johnny Raptor
Summary: The Fallen Angels of the Stars have shifted from their sleep. Descending from the constellations in heaven, these angels intend on obliterating the earth, given permission by their god. No NOTABLE Pairings/Implying Pairings; Yes. Rated T for safety.
1. Shooting Star Dragon's Final Moment

"They've…" Akiza whispered as the roars of Black Rose Dragon echoed through her head. She watched as the red dragon fell before her. The dragon was now lifeless, it could not move, nor could it even twitch. A pool of darkness appeared around the dragon as its final screeches could be heard once more.

"Suffer in despair, suffer for all eternity, child. Your race… shall be erased. It will not hurt, not much…" a voice whispered from yet another shadowy image that walked forth with almost angelic-looking wings. The wings were stained with black, but the figure they belonged to couldn't be seen, not clearly. "We were created for this; the insurance of halting human evolution, a thing that is no longer necessary in this world…" the voice said once again.

Her eyes widened as the screams of Stardust Dragon could now be heard, and her beloved Yusei screaming "Stardust!" The dragon roared as several cross-shaped cuts were spreading all over it like a virus. "Stardust! Keep fighting! You're stronger than this!" he yelled as his Head Birthmark glowed a furious red. A burning pain spread through his body, and Akiza yelped as it burned her as well. The dragon screeched as a vortex of darkness formed around its fight, sucking it in as it was doing to his comrade; Black Rose Dragon.

"Red Demons Dragon!" Jack yelled as his Signer Dragon too was being sucked into a vortex while tied by a black liquid. "Keep fighting! You're better than this, you're my soul after all!" he yelled as the dragon roared with pride. It struggled as the coils tightened around it. He flinched as his Wings Birthmark burned him as well, but he ignored it as his soul was being lost out so easily.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna cried as she reached out for her dragon that seemed to have aged rapidly. The dragon yelped as it shook its head. _Luna, do not pursue me… We're being taken somewhere… where you cannot follow…_ the dragon lightly roared as its wings slowly fossilized. "No! Please, don't go! How will I protect the Spirits without you?" she cried while her twin brother Leo held her back. He too was crying, and even at this moment, he didn't know what to say or do, other than keep his sister from being endangered.

"Blackfeather Dragon! Don't! You were the kid's hope, you can't just go down like this!" Crow yelled as he slammed his fist into the ground. "Damnit, damnit! You were the kids' soaring hope! How could I let this happen so blindly?" he cursed himself as his Tail Birthmark glowed an infuriated red that burned even his soul.

The five figures of darkness stood in front of the Signers and their falling dragons, watching them all. "Such a look of despair…" the one in front of Black Rose Dragon spoke almost sadistically.

"I haven't seen anyone with so much fear in their hearts… their hearts are being tainted black with it!" the figure in front of Red Demons Dragon chuckled loudly. The five figures were almost the same in feature; murky, dark figures with angel wings stained with black.

"Humans are so easy to break! I didn't think the friggin' Signers would be _this_ easy!" the figure in front of Ancient Fairy Dragon laughed. The remaining two remained silent, as if their arms were folded.

"Stardust… Don't go! You're the symbol of our friendship, as everyone else is! You all can't just go down like this! Our bonds… our friends… the people we've met up until today… We can't just let them down!" Yusei called out to his Stardust. The Signer Dragon screeched in response, as if it could feel Yusei's words. Something was about to happen! "Stardust! We've still got one more fight… don't give up… we must protect our precious bonds!" he called out his dragon.

He remembered his battle against Kiryu, his best friend who had been a Dark Signer for some time a long time ago. He believed in the bonds between him and his friends, and believed in the long-forgotten bond between him and Kiryu. Even then, during the time of despair when Kiryu was about to crash into the wall of flames, Stardust didn't fail to evolve into the Savior Star Dragon! Then, in the time of despair against the Machine Emperor Wisel, Yusei's dragon evolved into the might Shooting Star Dragon. "Stardust… we've still gotta fight! We can't let our friends down!"

The dragon screeched in response to Yusei, reaching out its claws at him as it trying to speak. It roared as mightily as it could as it broke free from its unseen boundaries. Its wings opened majestically as the dragon screeched loudly. Without warning, crimson light formed around it, as well as the other four dragons. The crimson light caused the figures to scream, all of them backing away.

"The hell is this?" one said with an echoing voice, turning to its comrades. "This ain't possible! It can't be frickin' possible!" the figure panicked.

"I don't know… Could this be the power of those so-called 'bonds' that these humans seem to cling to?" one of the silent ones said, looking at both sides of its comrades.

"Whatever it is… we can't let it happen! Sorry, human, this is where it ends here, got it, punk!" the first figure flapped its wings as it was slowly moving closer to the glowing Stardust Dragon. The Stardust Dragon screeched mightily from within the light, with enough of a force to knock the five figures back a few feet!

"I see… Stardust… Keep trying, even if it ends you!" Yusei screamed out as his dragon roared once again, the virus-like cuts slowly disappearing from its body. The other four looked at Yusei and his Signer Dragon. Perhaps he was the star of hope for them? "Clustering crystal dreams will open the door to a new evolution! Become the path its light shines upon!" he yelled out as the Birthmark of the entire Crimson Dragon appeared on his back. With that, suddenly, his creature floated up towards the sky, and jetted towards a two-ringed portal.

"It disappeared?" the cocky one panicked once more. Suddenly, another portal opened, directly above the five figures!

"This is your last fight… give it all you've got! Be Born!" he commanded as his Stardust Dragon, still covered in crimson light, flew through the newly formed portal. Rainbow lights scattered all over the place as the crimson exploded with great power! "Shooting Star Dragon!" Yusei commanded as his Accel Synchro Monster took form one more time! The dragon roared mightily, and the rainbow lights faded away.

"What… is this?" one of the figures muffled as it backed away. Without a warning, Shooting Star's wings straightened out, and it flew towards the darkness of the black clouds, spinning and spinning as a burst of light emitted from its very body. The denizens of the dark all screamed as they were backing away.

"Yusei…" Akiza whispered as she held her hands together, as if praying.

"Keep it going, Yusei! Borrow as much power as ya need from me!" Crow cheered with a laugh as his Blackfeather Dragon screeched, already almost gone into the vortex.

"Don't give up, Yusei! I won't forgive you for losing this!" Jack yelled.

"Yeah! Yusei!" both Luna and Leo laughed. Little did they all know that it was too late for their dragons' survival.

"Feh! This thing ain't that tough! I'll take it out with my frickin' pinky!" the cocky figure flew towards the Accel Synchro Monster. Little did it know what was in store for it at this point.

"Shooting Star Dragon! Stardust Mirage!" Yusei commanded his Accel Synchro Monster as it screeched, and jetted right at the figure that first backed away.

"Tch! You ain't beatin' me, not even if you've evolved!" the figure yelled as it blocked the attack with a wing… however.

"Our bonds will explode here, and now! Shooting Star Dragon!" Crimson light engulfed the dragon as the cries of the Crimson Dragon could now be heard. Soaring above them all, was the Crimson Dragon, watching as its soldiers were one-by-one already almost gone.

"There's nothing you can do! It's too late to save the other dragons, no matter what you do!" the second figure spoke as Shooting Star Dragon was pushing back the first one that acted cocky.

"Then we'll make sure to take down all of you! Right here… right now!" Yusei said with his coy smile. The Birthmark of the Crimson Dragon cooled down. It was no longer hot, nor was it cold… it was… "Clear Mind! Shooting Star Dragon, Stardust Miraaage!" The dragon screeched as it successfully stabbed right through the murky figure.

"W…what the?" the figure coughed as it exploded in a bright light!

"Aeries!" one of them yelled in worry before Shooting Star Dragon then shot right through it in an instant, like an arrow of light. "D…damn… So this is the power of… 'bonds'… huh…?" it said as it exploded as well.

"Hmph… It's useless, Yusei Fudo. Whatever you do… do not expect us to just up and disappear…" the middle one spoke as Shooting Star Dragon finished off the other two with ease. Shooting Star Dragon settled, and awaited its owner's final command, staring off with the enemy in front of it. "Stardust Dragon… your friends are almost assimilated, but if you act now, before I finish them off… you can join us. You as well, Yusei Fudo. I would rather not have to fight someone who has acknowledged the existence of the God that had sent us…" the figure spoke.

"Sorry to say, but…" Yusei and his friends looked at one another, and nodded their heads. No matter how deep of despair they were in, Yusei would save them, even if it meant his life was at stake. "We refuse!" they all said as Shooting Star Dragon shot right at the final figure. The figure could not help but chuckle.

"By all means… Yusei Fudo… this is not the end… it will never be the end, so long as you humans exist… We exist to erase the damned, which are all of you humans… All you've done is bide some time, you have not eliminated us!" The murky figure began to laugh as Shooting Star Dragon pierced right through it, and it exploded just like its comrades.

Shooting Star Dragon soared above its comrades, watching as they were still being assimilated. Shooting Star was also tired, and could no longer fight. Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded its head weakly at Shooting Star, as if understanding what it was going to do. "Luna…" it weakly whispered. Luna's attention immediately went to her Ancient Fairy Dragon. "Do not fret… we will always… be in your hearts…" it said lowly.

"What're you… saying…?" she responded as he tears never ended. Black Rose Dragon, Blackfeather Dragon, Red Demons Dragon, and Ancient Fairy Dragon had all screeched as crimson light engulfed their existences.

"We will… not return… we cannot… we're too weak…" the dragon said as only its aged head remained to be above the surface of the vortex.

"No… Yusei's Shooting Star Dragon will save you all… right!" Luna cried out.

"I'm sorry… Shooting Star Dragon, as strong as he may be, cannot save us all… he risked every last bit of energy he could to defeat them… He's going to take our powers in order to…" the voice of Ancient Fairy Dragon turned more and more into a lower whisper.

"To what…?"

"To pass our batons… to others… A new generation of Signer Dragons…" the dragon's voice could no longer be heard as the Crimson Dragon screeched. Shooting Star Dragon screeched as well as it turned from white to crimson as the lights all gathered unto his body. The dragon then screamed loudly as fight orbs of white light formed around his body.

"Shooting Star… what are you…?" Yusei whispered as he clenched his fists tightly.

"Black Rose Dragon…" Akiza whispered sadly. Despite all that she'd gone through with her childhood, one of her most fond memories was first ever Synchro Summoning her Black Rose Dragon. Slowly, her birthmark began to fade, along with any hope of her dragon ever returning.

"Red Demons Dragon…" Jack muttered, clenching his fists tightly. He remembered all of his Duels with Red Demons Dragon, especially when he had first Synchro Summoned it… His birthmark too also began to fade away.

"Yusei… Please… find the new Signer Dragons before another terrible… tragedy can occur… please… keep Luna safe for me…" Ancient Fairy Dragon whispered as Luna's first memory of meeting Ancient Fairy Dragon played all over again in her head. Even the most exciting part of when she first summoned it against Devack, the Dark Signer of the Monkey Birthmark.

"Blackfeather Dragon…!" Crow clenched his fists tightly as a few tears escaped the corners of his eyes. He watched as his dragon screeched once more, and then the memory of Pearson came to mind, along with when Pearson had Synchro Summoned it. _Those kids were happy when he Synchro Summoned it… but now… it's gone… Pearson… I'm sorry! I've lost… the kids' hope…!_

"Stardust…" Yusei whispered as his clear mind was disrupted by the saddening memories of when he first laid his hands on Stardust Dragon. It was a card that was not only precious to him, but his friends back in the days of the Satellite… No. It was precious to his friends too. Everyone he had met, up to this point… was all because of Stardust Dragon!

Shooting Star Dragon screeched as the five orbs of light scattered through the sky, and the Crimson Dragon screamed once more as its crimson flame-like body had vanished too. Everything was gone from the Signers… and there was nothing they could possibly do, other than just let it all happen, and accept that it happened…

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I haven't really been on in a long time, and I've been writing this new story for a few weeks now... so... yeah... deal with it, bubs. XD

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is Directed by Katsumi Ono, made in the studio of Studio Gallop, belonging with all rights going to TV Tokyo. Thank you TV Tokyo for broadcasting this show, and thank the author Satou Masashi for making this show. This is nothing more than another Fan Fiction made by this author. Please support the official show if you are a fan. Please support the official release, again.


	2. Towards The Future With Comrades!

_About two years have passed since that terrible tragedy. The Signers all walked their own ways, well, maybe it's better to call them Ex-Signers… I, Yusei Fudo, haven't given up on the hope that the dragons left us… Jack, Crow, Akiza, and Luna all lost their birthmarks, somehow, and yet I still have mine… Maybe the Crimson Dragon is telling me to go find the new Signers? I don't know… but I know well that this is going to be an arduous journey ahead of me…_

_

* * *

_

Yusei sat on his chair, fiddling with a new piece of technology he received. Everything about it seemed almost complex, yet it came so easily to him on how to work it, and make it his own. _If I fix this screw, and then that one… then change the circuitries around, I might be able to fix this Holographic Matter Emitter to working condition._ He continued to shift around with the screws before stopping almost out of nowhere. He put down the piece of complex technology, and stared at his forearm.

_Stardust… you wanted us to find the new generation of Signer Dragons… but… how can we do it…? Father… there must be a way…_ He sighed for a moment, removing his glove from his arm. _It's been a few years since that battle with those monsters in the B.A.D Area of the Satellite… yet it still hurts like back then… the marks had burned us all, and left nothing more than a scar on our souls after that day…_ He raised his sleeve, looking at the Dragon Head Birthmark he was assigned by the Crimson Dragon. He smoothly traced the Birthmark, this was his newest way for serious thinking. Most found it creepy, but it worked for him, it was his only way to clear his mind when he needed some heavy thinking.

_We can't let them down… The monsters said that they'd be back, so we must find the new generation before its too late!_ He rose from his seat, and left the piece of technology on the table. _We must… or we've failed our duty as the Signers to protect this world from any evil… our bonds will give birth to a new power if we continue to believe in it…_ He walked away from his seat before saying goodbye loudly to his sleeping friends, Rally Dawson, Blitz, Nervin, and Tank.

* * *

"Red Demons Dragon…" Jack muttered as he was seated on his throne that was once truly his. A large chunk of it was gone, so it no longer held the majesty it once held before. _It's over… my burning hot soul… is gone. I feel… hollow…_ He placed his hand over his heart, as if to check if it were beating. _I guess I'm still alive… For a moment, I thought this was hell…_ His memory flooded once more, when he was the King of Duelists, and won every match flawlessly with his Red Demons Dragon. He even remembered how hard he worked at his new strategy against the Familiar of the Scar Red in order to Double Tune-Synchro Summon his Scar-Red Nova Dragon…

No memory would stop haunting Jack. It was worse than when he had lost his title of King to Yusei all of those years ago, and when he had lost the one he loved, Carly, to the Dark Signers. Even then, his Red Demons Dragon didn't fail him, for it evolved into the Savior Demons Dragon for that moment, to save her from the darkness of the wicked god that overtook her naïve soul.

"Jack…" a voice echoed as the door slammed open. Memories flooded once more for the former Duel King, and he looked apathetically at the door. "Jack… you're still hung up on that too, huh?"

"Of course **you** aren't. You didn't lose your soul on that one day…" Jack said with a glare before looking away from him. "What do you want anyway? Don't you have some tech to fix up or something stupid like that?" he said with the empty, apathetic look on his face. That was the new look to his eyes, ever since losing Red Demons Dragon.

"Jack, it wasn't my fault… but there's still hope! Remember, a new generation of Signer Dragons has been given birth to thanks to the powers of our Dragons…!" Yusei attempted to convince him, but to no avail.

"Shut up. Yusei, it was _your_ fault, no matter what you say. You were our hope, the only one who was able to fight back… but you couldn't do a single thing to save Red Demons…" Jack spat, slamming his fist onto his arm rest. "You were the one who had the chance to save us, but you… you didn't do anything!" he snarled, like an angry ruler.

"Jack…"

"I don't want to hear it!" he barked at Yusei before getting up with his angered, yet apathetic eyes staring down at Yusei. "I won't have it. I won't hear the words of a lousy friend. I can't even believe I called you my friend…" Jack clenched his fists tightly.

"If we believe in our bonds, formed by the Birthmarks, we mi—"

"I SAID SILENCE!" Jack barked before taking a step towards Yusei. "I don't feel like hearing the words of a lousy friend, I said it to you already. Now get out… GET OUT!" he barked as Yusei looked away hurtfully.

"Alright… I'll let you cool off, for now…" Yusei said as he slowly closed the door.

"A-Atlas-sama…?" Mina walked out from behind the throne, bowing to him.

"Silence! I've had it with this thing called 'bonds' and 'friendship'… I should've remained as I was when I left this dump; cold and ambitious. Guess I had to see it the hard way, huh?" he said before taking a seat on his throne once more. He rested his cheek against his elevated fist, leaving himself to try and think clearly.

"Atlas-sama… you can't just throw away your friends and your bonds…" Mina argued, for once trying to stand on her own instead of just being Jack's lowly assistant.

"I said silence, you" Jack retorted as his eyes opened and he gave a cold glare to Mina.

"No. You're going to listen! You may not like to hear it, but Yusei tried what he could! It's not like he didn't want to save the other Signer Dragons as much as you wanted him to! He just couldn't! It was too late, and even he couldn't do anything!" Mina lashed out.

Jack immediately stood up once again, "I said silence, Mina, or are you going to continue disobeying the King?"

"And I already said it… stop trying to push everyone away! Yusei tried, but failed. He couldn't do it, okay? Now stop trying to cut your bonds!"

"I won't have it! I refuse to hear the words of such a diso—" Before he could even finish that sentence, Mina had slapped him as hard as she could. She was almost breaking into tears, she just couldn't bear to see Jack broken down horribly.

"Atlas-sama… I'm trying to get it through your thick head… Yusei couldn't do it… You're at your strongest when your bonds with the other Signers haven't been cut off… Your new hope lies ahead of you, only if you try to follow Yusei's words!" she spoke her heart out, to the point that her tears finally escaped. "I… I can't bear to see you this way… Jack… I've tried to remain quiet about this for as long as I could… but… they're your friends, and Yusei was one of your best friends back when you started out here, and even when you guys faced the Three Emperors of Yliaster…" Mina sighed before backing away as Jack had finally begun to look at her.

"Mina…" he stepped over to her with a warm look in his eyes.

"A-Atlas-sama…" she blushed as he drew closer.

"Mina…" his eyes returned to their apathetic look as he delivered a punch right into her gut. "Don't ever… lay a hand on the King, unless you're told to" he said with a cold voice as the woman was knocked out cold by that single punch. He shrugged her off, and crossed his arms, staring at his broken throne. _Red Demons Dragon… was she right this whole time…? Was I being too prideful to listen to my comrades…?_

_

* * *

_

Akiza wandered around the ruins of her old home, the original base of the Arcadia Movement. She bit her bottom lip as she fell to her knees, looking at the single piece of cloth left from Divine's original vest. It brought her a sense of nostalgia. _Divine… you were the first man to have accepted me for who I was…_ She silently sniffled as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. _I hated you all this time for using me… but… I can't deny that you were the first to make me feel like I had… a purpose… to feel like… I wasn't a monster…_

She silently sobbed to herself as memories of her childhood with her father flooded her mind once again. "_YOU MONSTER!"_ was all she heard from that memory, the very point from which she had snapped, and lost her sense of self-respect. Despite it all, after being transferred to Duel Academia, she returned home, only to see that her mother and father were still enjoying themselves without her around. _"Who needs them? I've still got myself… and myself…!"_ were the very words she had muttered before she began to walk the path of loneliness.

Then… came along Divine. He took on Akiza's onslaught like it was nothing, and just smiled at her, respecting her special power, and recruiting her into his Arcadia Movement. Ever since she had first met the man, she felt like she had a purpose, and that she was no longer a monster. Amongst the other Psychics in the Arcadia Movement, she felt like an average human being, albeit one with a great power, but still a human. She felt like the words of her father no longer applied in the Arcadia Movement… Finally, a place to call home.

However, then came along the day she met Yusei, when they were both enemies. _That birthmark… it's brought nothing more than ruin ever since that day…_

"Akiza…?" Yusei said as he watched her stand up. "Akiza, I know you're still hurting from that day… but let me help you… we can search for Luna and Crow together, and find the new generation of Signer Dragons together! Won't you please help me…?" he reached out to her, trying to grab her hand.

Akiza sobbed and shook her head. She willingly pushed Yusei's hand away, her tears falling like little droplets of despair. "No… I can't bear to be by your side anymore…" she said sadly as she backed away. "Not anymore… I just… I can't…" she sobbed as Yusei tried to reach out to her one more time. "NO! You're… you're a curse!" Akiza screamed as she backed away from Yusei, holding the cloth tightly in her hand.

"Akiza… what'd you mean by that? I tried to help you, from the very beginning, not as a Signer, but as a friend!" Yusei stated back at her.

"Why would you help a witch like me? I'm not where you're from… we were born in different worlds, different families, different lifestyles, different histories… different everything! Why'd you help me back then…?"

"Beca—"

"Because you were out to spread your curse to me! Ever since I met you… I slowly dwindled away from Divine's side… had I stayed by his side, I would've never had to think… I would never have suffered… Divine would've taken it all for me, and just thought for me…" Akiza sobbed backing away from him.

"But…"

"But, nothing, Yusei! You're a curse to anyone and anything you meet… Get away from me! Just get away!" Akiza screamed as she suffered more on the inside. _Black Rose Dragon… I met you when I was by Divine's side… I shouldn't have left, and now… you're gone…_

"Akiza… what about our bonds?" Yusei cried out in one more attempt to call his friend back from the darkness of despair. He stepped back, looking at Akiza who seemed to have been enraged by Yusei's outcry just now.

"Yusei… what _bonds_? They disappeared right before our eyes on that day, and the accursed birthmark that I was given also disappeared that night! Those dragons and our marks bound us together to a destiny of ruin… Yusei… stay away from me!"

Yusei stopped, looking away from her with his dark blue eyes soft, yet in pain from Akiza's very words. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for ever having met you, I'm sorry to have caused you all this misery…" he turned away, fists clenched as his heart ached. He had lost two friends over that incident… and he'd never get them back, at this rate… "I'm sorry… for everything…" he said as he walked away, leaving Akiza to her memories as she broke down into them once again…

Akiza looked back at the cloth in her hand, seeing a shadowy image of Black Rose Dragon in her head… _Was I right… in leaving Yusei's side…?_ She whispered softly as she put her hands together in a soft prayer.

* * *

"Synchro Summon! Soar, Black Wing Armor Master!" Crow commanded as the armored avian took form on the field, roaring as it struck its opponent ruthlessly. The child cried as he lost the Duel.

"Crow-nee-chan… you're being mean!" the kid cried as the other kids came over to console him. One stepped forward, "What're you doing? You said this was going to be a practice Duel for him to get better, not for him to just lose his will to Duel!" the kid frowned at him.

"The world's not going to wait for him to get better… if he loses, he needs to get back up, and fight. When you've lost everything, you fight like a real man…" Crow answered with his arms crossed as his Armor Master vanished. "Kids, you'll learn something from a pathetic fool like him…" he said with his fists clenched as he gave the child a hawk-eyed glare.

"C-Crow-nee-chan…" the kid sniffled as he looked at how his idol was now behaving.

_Yusei… if you hadn't come back…_ Crow clenched his fists even tighter, to the point that he felt as if his veins popped several times over, but he didn't care.

"Crow" Yusei said, stopping off on his D-Wheel, and removing his helmet. He looked at Crow, noticing his new outlook that seemed to almost reflect Jack's. "Crow… are you also hung up on that moment to—"

"Shut your trap, Yusei. I've had enough garbage from you about friendship… it doesn't get you anywhere in the world, except into a world of hurt!" Crow yelled, taking a step forward as he was now at his snapping point. He remembered how Pearson had always said that Blackfeather Dragon was the wings of hope that soared above them all and turned the sky pitch-black, for the sake of the kids. Now that that hope was gone… what was left?

He remembered the first Duel that he had ever experienced with Pearson. He was just learning how to use his newfound skill with Blackwing Monsters, but, Pearson was the master of them. He knew just how to manipulate them, and Summoned his Blackfeather Dragon. Even he was able to manipulate that card, and yet Crow just couldn't figure it out. _"You must believe in the ability of your cards, and go along with witty tactics. That is how they function… maybe you'll be able to work them like me… ha-ha-ha-ha!"_ Pearson's words went through his mind.

"Yusei… if you had never come back to the Satellite back then… I would've never found Blackfeather Dragon… and I certainly wouldn't have been burdened like that!" he took another step to Yusei, while Yusei stepped back.

"C-Crow, not you too" Yusei said, looking at him sadly.

"Enough, Yusei. I've had it with you… You, Jack, all the Signer stuff you put me through… I, Crow-sama, am alone, and will soar above this pain. I… I'll make sure I'm never hurt like that again!" Crow yelled as he remembered the image of his Blackfeather Dragon being sucked into that vortex. There was just nothing he could do. He couldn't stop the Signer Dragon from being assimilated into the ground… He never felt such a feeling of despair in his heart.

"C-Crow! Our friendship… don't tell me you also regret it…!"

"Yes. I regret ever having met you. I regret ever meeting you in Team Satisfaction's days! I should've never associated myself with you guys…" Crow said as he took another step towards Yusei. He was nearing his D-Wheel, and it was already notably invoked. Another step and Yusei would have to magically turn on his D-Wheel and speed off at the same time.

"Crow… I'm sorry…" Yusei looked down as he turned away from one of his best friends. "I'm sorry that I've caused you so much pain…" he said as he stepped onto his D-Wheel, and drove off towards the setting sun. _Luna's the only one left… Please Luna… don't be mad at me…_ He prayed in his mind as he sped off to Neo-Domino City.

"Crow-nee-chan… Yusei's your best friend, why the heck did you do that to him?" the whimpering child screamed.

"'cause… he's a lousy friend. He ain't hope, not even for ants. He's just a blind fool. I said it before, Crow-sama's gonna soar alone, and it'll stay that way 'till this pain's over with" Crow spat.

". . . Crow-nee-chan… you're an idiot!" the child yelled angrily as he stormed over to him, leaving the others behind him. "Yusei wasn't a fool. He's your friend, you guys were best friends, awesome ones at that, back when you guys were _the_ Team Satisfaction! You're just being a whiny sissy because you lost Blackfeather Dragon!"

"Shut it, kid. You don't know what's really up with Blackfeather Dragon…" Crow clenched his fists tightly. The child was annoying him, and at this rate, he was going to have to do something he'd regret.

"No, _you_ shut up! Yusei's trying to offer a way to be filled with hope again. Instead, you turn him down! He's not the lousy friend, _you're_ being the lousy friend!" the kid's tears did not stop as he lectured Crow. "You were my idol… but now… you're being a stupid head!"

"I said shut it, kid!" Crow barked in annoyance.

"NO!" the kid screamed back as all the other kids walked over behind him, all of them frowning up at the man that was their idol.

"…" Crow looked away from them. He knew he was wrong in this case, he couldn't deny it. What would Pearson have done in this case though? This was one of those moments where he really needed Pearson to give him the right answer…

* * *

"She's gone again! Don't let her die so young on us!" a doctor ordered as they attempted electro-therapy on Luna's unconscious body. Leo watched sadly from the corner of the room. He knew what was wrong with her, and knew that he couldn't follow her, no matter what… he just had to trust that she'd come back…

* * *

Kuribon purred sadly and landed on Luna's head. Her knees were against her chest as her eyes were covered by her legs. She sobbed quietly under them. _A-Ancient Fairy Dragon… I'm sorry that I was so weak… I… I couldn't save you… I failed you, just like when I first heard your voice…_ She sobbed once again as she remembered the soft, almost motherly tone of Ancient Fairy Dragon. Now, she was lost without her, and just couldn't do a thing about it…

"LUNA!" a voice called out from nowhere. She looked at the sky with a hollow look in her eyes. She was so young, yet she was traumatized by that one event all those years ago… "Yu…sei…?" she whispered softly.

* * *

"Leo, let me go! I need to talk to her!" Yusei said as he was trying to pull himself out of Leo's grip. All Leo did in response was shaking his head sadly. "I need to talk to her! There's still hope!"

"Yusei… STAY AWAY FROM HER!" he yelled as he sniffled and mightily pulled Yusei back from the emergency room. "You've caused her pain and suffering since that day… why didn't you save Ancient Fairy Dragon?" he said accusingly.

"…" Yusei fell silent. Yet another friend was blaming him for their loss, but this time, it hurt more since the twins were his only friends left… at least the only ones that didn't turn their back on him yet.

"Yusei, you've caused my sister to be sicker than usual, ever since she met you… You were all cool, and awesome and stuff, but… you're making her sadder and sadder with each passing day…" Leo sighed. "She was suffering… ever since that day…"

"Leo… if I can get another Signer's help, then may—"

"Luna's no longer a Signer" Leo flat-out said as he walked over to the door, looking at Yusei with a saddened look in his eyes.

"Leo… what do you mean by that…?" Yusei asked. He couldn't believe that sentence even escaped Leo's mouth! Leo used to always dream of being the 5th Signer, or perhaps even be a half-Signer since he was twins with Luna. He was always up for anything, so long as there was hope at the end of the road, but…

"Luna lost her Birthmark, or did you forget about it? I don't see it there anymore… the doctors are asking if I'm crazy, 'cause it's not there…" Leo said with his arms crossed, almost sobbing. He was sorry that Luna felt so much pain, and couldn't bear to have her see Yusei again. Those memories would just flood into her one more time, and possibly even shock her to death.

"Clear!" a doctor ordered as they attempted electro-therapy once again. Luna slowly opened her eyes, her large yellow pools showing nothing but despair in them.

"Please… just leave… I'm begging you…" Leo tried not to cry. He tried to be a real man in front of the man he respected long ago.

"… Then tell her… I'm sorry…" Yusei turned away. _Them too, huh…? Then Akiza was right… I am… a curse…_ He walked away, hearing the voice of his father, who felt so blessed to hold Yusei in his arms. _Dad… did you really name me 'Yusei' to symbolize how I'd be friends with everyone… or was it meant to be a curse, like the Zero Reverse…?_ He walked down the all-white halls of the hospital with these drifting thoughts.

Tears almost formed at the corners of his eyes, but he wiped them away. _Stardust… I won't fail you… I'll go searching on my own then… I'm sorry, you guys, for causing so much pain and suffering…_ He got on his D-Wheel, and sped off to who-knows-where.

Leo watched as Yusei sped off, noticing how sad he looked. "Was I wrong to push him away from Luna…?" he whispered to himself as he walked back to the emergency room. _Luna… I can't live in a world without my sister… I said I'd protect you no matter what… but… did I really have to push Yusei away…?_

_

* * *

_

Yusei's D-Wheel sped up as he was searching for the answer. How would he find the new generation of Signer Dragons without a clue as to where they are, or where they could be? _I just need to keep searching… I just need to keep believing! I'll find all of you… and then we'll defeat the evil together…!_ He revved his D-Wheel as he increased his speed. The engine was working great, even after his long, hard duel with the Three Emperors of Yliaster back then.

"Those Signer Dragons could be anywhere in the world… but I have to find them!" he said out loud, as if someone could hear him. He heard the sounds of another D-Wheel revving up, catching up to his speed! But who, who could possibly catch up to his speed? _Someone's behind me?_ He revved his D-Wheel too, speeding up even more before suddenly hearing yet another D-Wheel engine roar up. _It seems like the guy's got friends! A D-Wheel Gang?_ He sped up even more, reaching the limits of his D-Wheel as he tried to outrun his followers in a battle of speed!

"Yusei!" a voice called out from behind.

_They know my name? This may n—_A D-Wheel slipped right next to him. _I've got company!_ It was all white, and shaped awkwardly like a circle. _This one… it's familiar…_ He looked at it, to find the operator. His blue eyes widened in bewilderment when he saw the operator. "Jack!" he called out and wouldn't you know it, the blond-haired man flashed a grin at him as the two drove side-by-side.

"I can't afford to let my subject act stupid out there, so I'm lending you a hand. Better appreciate it!" Jack said with that cocky smile on his face.

"Jack… You've turned around?" Yusei asked with a smile.

"Yeah… just took one bad assistant to slap me in the face, and lecture me like she's the boss to know that I was wrong. I offer my apology, and my assistance as the next King" Jack sneered. He knew he still had a score to settle with Yusei, because he wanted to win his title back, however, he knew he didn't deserve it. Not just yet anyway, so he was going to work with Yusei still.

"Ha-ha-ha! Whatever, I'm still happy that you're here" Yusei replied with a nod. It was good to have a friend back, even if it was just one of them. The pain and shock of the others rejecting him still existed in his heart, but now he was not lonely.

"Well, better be ready to explode like a happy balloon, I'm not the only one joining you!" Jack said as he pointed his thumb in the back direction.

"Huh…?" Yusei immediately turned his D-Wheel around to observe the area behind him. He shifted into reverse to not drive into what was there, and his eyes widened as his smile widened as well. "C-Crow!"

"Better believe it, Yusei!" Crow chuckled with a sneer.

"But… you were… earlier…" Yusei paused.

"Aw, shut it, I was just actin' like a jerk. You know that ain't the real me" he said with a laugh as he caught up to the two.

Yusei smiled, now he knew he wasn't alone. He still had friends who were going to follow through with him to the end! "Now, let's find the new generation!" Yusei declared as the three yelled "Yeah!" and revved up their D-Wheels. The three best friends then sped off into the sunset, now with a new resolve, a new hope, and a new adventure awaiting them in the world of speed.

* * *

Author's Note: Deal with the new chapter, bubs! XD

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is Directed by Katsumi Ono, made in the studio of Studio Gallop, belonging with all rights going to TV Tokyo. Thank you TV Tokyo for broadcasting this show, and thank the author Satou Masashi for making this show. This is nothing more than another Fan Fiction made by this author. Please support the official show if you are a fan. Please support the official release, again.


	3. Synchro Summon! Jurrac Giganoto!

_Somewhere else, in a foreign country, there are many Duelists lying in the wait of Jack, Crow, and Yusei. One of the billions in the world could possibly be the carrier of a Signer Dragon, or the Signer themself. It's up to Yusei and his crew to find them!_

_

* * *

_

Two adolescents stood a few feet away from another with two large holograms in front of them. One stood with a dinosaur in front of him. He had red, spiky hair along with an x-shaped scar on his cheek. He had green eyes that spoke nothing but bad news, and yet he was strangely innocent anyway. He wore a red t-shirt with blue pants and bright yellow shoes, taking on the appearance of the colors of fire.

Opposite of him was another adolescent boy that stood with a satellite in front of him. This boy wore what almost looked like a scientist's uniform with black pants. He even wore glasses and formal shoes that gave him even more of a scientist-like appearance to him!

"It's over for ya, buddy!" an adolescent boy said as a large satellite-looking machine burst full-speed ahead at the opposing adolescent boy standing in front of him with only a small, oddly-colored velociraptor in front of him. The dinosaur in front of him appeared to bear the colors of flame, so it wasn't any ordinary dinosaur.

Turn 3

**Satellite Cannon**: 6000

**Jurrac Velo**: 1700

Player 1: 200

Opponent: 7500

"Think again! This here's the miracle that's gonna keep me safe! Trap card activate! Go, **Defense Draw**! During Damage Calculation, the damage I would've taken turns out to be _zero_" the opposing adolescent sneered as the explosion did not reach him at all. "Next, I'm given a free draw! How's that?" he drew his new card before an electronic roar of pain echoed around them.

"You and your luck… almost had ya!" the male with the satellite smiled as his creature began to shrink. The roars continued to echo around the two, but neither of them was bothered by it.

"The effect of my **Jurrac Velo** activates! Whenever he's destroyed by battle, while in Attack Mode, I Special Summon a "**Jurrac"** in my Deck with 1700 or Less Attack! Come on out, **Jurrac Monoloph**!" he instructed as the dinosaur ran with multiple embers emitting from its own body. "Note, **Jurrac Monoloph** here's a **Tuner Monster**!"

**Jurrac Monoloph**: 1700

**Satellite Cannon**: 0

"Turn end!" the first Duelist said with a smile across his face. He knew for a fact that the game was lost, ever since the moment that he blocked the decisive blow with a single card. However, he wasn't going down so easily, not without a fight!

Turn 4

"My turn, draw!" his eyes peeked at the new card, and a smile ran across his face. "I play the **Double Summon** Spell Card! During this turn, I can Normal Summon twice!"

"Go on. I ain't got nothin' for ya…" the opponent said with a grin and a laugh.

"Alright then, guess I'll be ending this! I'll now Normal Summon my **Jurrac Protops** and know what? I'll Summon ANOTHER **Jurrac Monoloph**!" he commanded with only three cards in hand, and a baby dinosaur on the field with a new triceratops as well. The two lit themselves aflame, roaring loudly, and mightily.

"Keep it goin' bro, I kinda don't have all day…" the opponent sighed impatiently, tapping his foot to show how little patience he had. _What he does ain't gonna matter. His monsters can't break down this satellite, and it's too hard to pull a Level 8 Tribute Summon. I've got his Deck figured out since yesterday; it ain't got a single Level 8 Monster._

"Now, for the game-breakin' combo! I'll be tuning this here Level 3 **Jurrac Monoloph**, and this here Level 4 **Protops**!" the three rings of green light wrapped themselves around the four balls of light. "_Running along the streams of time, your burning instinct lives, even today! Your heart beats will fill the air! Synchro Summon! Appear! _**Jurrac Giganoto**!"

"Wait… he's still got a move to pull?" the opponent said in surprise as the light vanished, revealing large tyrannosaurus with a yellow head, and a blue body that was wrapped in the red flames of its fellow brothers. "Damn… a 2100 Monster already? Ah well, that's a waste. You ain't got much to do other than damage me plenty"

"Don't be so cocky, Alan. My Jurrac Giganoto's got an epic ability to show you… right about now!" the male pointed at the Satellite Cannon. "That thing's gonna be the end of you, no matter what! It's over this turn!"

"How? You've only got a total of 3800 Damage to inflict to me, and even then, I've still got enough to finish you off" Alan answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Too bad for you, you're underestimating the powers of the Jurrac Tribe… Then I guess I'll show you! Jurrac Giganoto's effect makes it so that all Monsters with the name "**Jurrac**" gain 200 Attack…"

"Ha! That's a pathetic boost" Alan said with a cocky grin.

"Lemme finish my sentence! Yeesh, you keep ruining the mood of the Duel when you do that… anyways. Now, Jurrac Giganoto's effect supplies all other **Jurracs** with an extra 200 Attack Boost for _**every**_ "**Jurrac"** in the graveyard!" the male sneered.

"… W-what the! Are you frickin' serious?" Alan responded in fear. He didn't know such an ability even existed in the first place, nor was he even aware of Jurrac Giganoto as a monster! _Those Dinos have a frickin' Synchro Monster with that kind of power? The hell kind of bull is that?_

"There are a total of 5 **Jurracs** in the grave, a grand total of 1000 Points extra to my Monoloph and my Giganoto!" he commanded as his monsters' flames began to spike up even more.

"So? 2500 and 3100 aren't that big of a deal! I've still got enough points to live another turn!" Alan laughed.

"The turn isn't over yet… I've still got cards in my hand, and on the Field! Now, I activate the ability of the **Destroyersaurus** in my hand! I ditch him in order to get a Special Field Spell in my Deck… **Jurassic World **will be added to my hand… and ya know what? I'll play it right now!" he put it down as the entire Field around the two shifted into a very lush environment. Several critters screeched, some roared, and both **Jurrac Giganoto** and **Monoloph** roared as if they were at home with the environment.

"Now, you know what a "home-field advantage" is to basketball players and stuff, right?" the male said with an unmovable grin.

"And that means…?" Alan raised an eyebrow, now confused.

"My critters get another boost! A 300 Point Boost to their Attack and Defense Power!

**Jurrac Giganoto**: 3400

**Jurrac Monoloph**: 2800

"So what? They don't got enough power to b—"

"If you'd shut up, I'd finish explainin' your situation… See, now I play this card called "**Solidarity**". With this, 'cause I've got some dinos racked up in the graveyard… All dinos will gain an 800 Attack boost!"

"W-what the?"

**Jurrac Giganoto**: 4200

**Jurrac Monoloph**: 3600

"Now I've got more than enough to finish ya off!"

"Trap Card Activate: **Cyber Target Practice**!" Alan commanded as a machine formed on his field, beeping as it then formed itself into a circle.

"What the heck's that thing?"

"This 'thing' has a special little ability. First off, it Special Summons a Token Monster in Attack Position… and then, all Monsters you control must attack it! It has yet another ability… It cannot be taken out by battle, once per turn! How do you like **those** apples, Johnny?" Alan laughed as the machine beeped once more.

**Cyber Target Token**: 1200/2000

Johnny smiled, "Nice move there… but I've still won this Duel! **Jurrac Giganoto**, go for it! _Blazing Impact_!" The dinosaur heeded his call with a roar as it charged in, taking the target and it was set ablaze!

"Gahhh!" Alan blocked the embers that flew harmlessly at him.

Alan: 7000 – 3000 = 4000.

"Next up, my Monoloph's gonna hit that target, and finish it off!" Johnny commanded as the creature roared cutely, and head-butted the target, thus destroying it without issue.

Alan: 4000 – 2400 = 1600.

"Ugh!" Alan said as the machine parts scattered all over the place. "Heh, I've still got my **Satellite Cannon**, and the game-finishing card in my hand! It's over for you, you don't got anymore attacks!"

"That's what you think… **Jurrac Monoloph** _also_ has a Special Ability, or did you magically forget about it in the time you were ranting about your frickin' 'victory'?" Johnny smirked.

"Wait… what!" Alan backed away.

"**Jurrac Monoloph** can attack **all** Monsters you've got on the Field! This ends right now! Jurrac Monoloph, attack! _Flaring Headbutt_!" he commanded the finishing blow. The dinosaur roared and charged right at the giant satellite! Sure, it wasn't destroyed, but a large chunk of it fell over Alan's head.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed from underneath it.

Alan: **0**.

"Woo-hoo! I won! Told you I've got some mad skills, don't I?" Johnny sneered as his creatures all disappeared.

"Feh… I'll admit it, you won, but that was a lucky move, nothing more! One Mystical Space Typhoon, and I would've completely broken your power-boost strategy!" Alan said with a grin right back at Johnny.

"Yeah, keep makin' excuses. You know I've got some mad skills" Johnny raised the peace sign as he chuckled along with his friend. He helped Alan back up as the Holograms all vanished into thin air.

"Do not" Alan said with a sweat drop. "If you had skills… then why'd I kick your ass down to 200 Points?" he asked with a grin.

"Tch, I was letting you win, don't think I'll just let it happen again!" Johnny laughed along with Alan.

"So, think you're ready to face the champ in this city?" Alan raised an eyebrow, trying to hold back his laughter. He knew the real answer, so regardless; he was going to have to laugh at him.

"Hell yeah! I'm gonna kick the crap outta him and his deck, I'll rip'em to shreds!" Johnny declared with a confident grin on his face.

"Yeah right! You're hilarious, you know that, right?" Alan couldn't help but to release his laughter now. Sure, Johnny had skills, but to beat a city-wide champ who was on to beating the world? Yeah right.

"I love how you help my confidence. Gee, you're a real pal" Johnny answered with a sweat drop at the back of his head.

"Sorry, but… Gotta burst your bubble. You ain't gonna win with skills like yours. Yeah, you're the best amongst our side of town, but to beat the citywide champ that's gonna venture out into the world, and beat the stuffing out of all the other champs in the world? Che, I can't even _dream_ something that impossible" Alan said with a grin. He knew he was just kidding with that, but he was serious about Johnny not being able to beat the champ. There was a _reason_ he was called "The Champ".

"Fine, I'll tune the Deck one more time, and kick the crap out of the next person I meet! But… it's gotta be someone different! Someone I've never met before…" Johnny sighed. "But geez, where am I gonna find someone like that? I mean, no one's really bothered to visit this town, at least no Duelists. Sheesh, you'd think we scare them away or something" he said depressingly. This was a fact, for indeed, no one ever visited town. People generally just left town to go off on rather elongated trips, or just never come back at all.

"Then I guess you gotta settle with Dueling little ol' me" Alan pointed at himself with a grin.

"Heck no. I'll find someone, even if I gotta get outta town! I'll see ya later, bro! Peace!" Johnny ran off immediately. He was determined to defeat the citywide champion, even if it meant completely altering his Deck. He made a quick dash to his house, greeted his mother, and then slammed his door shut. He pulled out several miniature boxes filled with collections of cards, as well as a black and blue binder that held some cards he found interesting, but a little useless. If anything, the binder-cards were for trade purposes.

"Hm… let's see…" he set out each and every card in the first box. He picked up the first card: **Tail Swipe**. "Using this card with Giganoto would be a nice mix… it'd bounce off the opponent's monsters with a lower level, and even those annoying Flip-Effect Monsters… Issue is, it's a situation draw. If I draw it, and Giganoto ain't on the Field, I'm screwed by then…" he muttered before setting the card back down. He picked up yet another card called "**Black Tyranno**". "This would be a nice card to add… but it needs two tributes. I honestly, ain't gonna be able to gather up two sacrifices for him, and plus, the opponent's not gonna be stupid enough to just have Defense-Mode cards…" he sighed as he placed it back down.

Next, he picked up yet another card called "**Babycerasaurus**". "I don't even know where to start with this frickin' card! It's epic since it'll gimme a monster when someone decides to be stupid enough to hit me with Field Destruction cards… but that ain't gonna work out too well, since I doubt the champ's gonna be cheap with destroying cards on the field…" he put it back down. "Gahhh! What the heck! What do I do? I can't frickin' think of anything to fix this deck!" he spread out his entire deck, observing each and every card. With each and every card he looked at, a new strategy formulated… but then he remembered one card the champ used, the card that was rumored to be his possible Key Card.

"Darn it…" Johnny sighed as he sprawled onto his bean bag couch. "That champ's not gonna be an easy guy to beat… heck, I'll need to search him up to find him first off, and then somehow **win** against him…" It was a dream of his to beat the champion of the city. He wanted to be the very best, and make his deceased father proud. He looked at the small box that was left for him. It had a small lock on it, but for some reason, no actual keyhole. It was just a lock that couldn't be opened by any normal means.

_Dad… I wanna make ya proud, but… it just ain't workin' out too well… As a kid, you wanted to be an awesome Duelist, which is why I'm tryin' to at least accomplish that for ya…_ He sighed before looking at the cards he'd scattered all over the floor. He picked them back up, before stopping to look at the Spell Card called "**Shrink**". "Wait a second… this card… it'll combo awesomely with **Jurrac Guaiba**! Sheesh, why didn't I think of it before!" he said happily as he removed a card from his deck in order to add in a single copy of it.

"Wait, it halves the enemy down… so why wouldn't a second one fit perfectly? Aw man, this is gonna be great!" he said happily as he extracted another Spell Card to add it in. He looked at his **Tyrannical Coercion** Trap Card that was in his Deck, and thought silently for a moment. "Wait… since this'll keep these guys safe from Traps… why not I just use this thing here to combo with it?" he looked at yet another trap. He swiftly removed a trap card in order to safely add the new trap into his Deck.

"Great! And these three **Hydrogeddons** will make this deck even more epic! Sure, it's another Attribute, but hey, they make it easier for me to surprise the opponent with epic swarming! It's back them into a corner, and that's the best part!" Johnny laughed as he swiftly proceeded to add them in, meanwhile removing three monsters in his deck to keep it balanced. "Alright… that's enough fine-tunin' for the day! Now I've just gotta find someone to test this out on!" he put the cards away, locked his deck-box, and threw himself back onto the bed.

"Ugh… it just ain't easy to find someone who hasn't been in town! Goddamnit, I refuse to Duel someone in this town…" he sighed as he turned out his lights. "Dang… it sucks having to be in South Port. No one ever visits…" Johnny frowned at the thought of how drab the town was. He could hear the roaring engines and screeching tires of cars outside, it just meant that the daytime drunks were around, and they didn't even _bother_ Dueling, even when they were sober. One unfamiliar roar pierced his interest, however. It sounded like… "Motorcycles?" he raised an eyebrow as the revving and roaring of the motorcycles ran near his house.

He opened the blinds, and opened the windows, staring out in the direction of the motorcycles. One red, one black, one white. "Dang, those are some cool-lookin' D-Wheels…" he sighed before closing his windows. _Wait a sec… those were never in this town before…_ He scratched the back of his head. "Should I go check'em out?" he spoke to himself, and then looked to the right. He then looked to left, "Heck yes! They're probably other Duelists that stupidly came into town!"

"Decision made! I'm gonna go follow'em!" Johnny laughed before taking his Deck Box, and then placing a pair of prescribed red sunglasses over his head. "Just in case the sun's too bright out!" he convinced himself as he ran out of the house. "Be back later mom!" he slammed the door, never to be seen again.

"How many times have I warned you not to slam the frickin' door, Johnny Alvarez?" his mother screamed pointlessly from the kitchen.

"Alright, just gotta keep following the roars of those sweet engines!" Johnny huffed as he chased behind the D-Wheels as best as he could. Sure, they were a long way ahead of him, but he just had to meet the ones that were riding them! "Come on… just stop! Even if it's gotta be for a minute, just stop!" he prayed in his mind as he huffed and puffed. The D-Wheels continued to roar, speeding several miles ahead of Johnny, leaving him in their dust as they made a swift turn.

"Aw, come the heck on! Are you cereal!" he complained as he continued running. "Ugh, frickin' sun!" he whined once more as he lowered his sunglasses onto his eyes. The world around him appeared to be darker, but he could clearly see everything now. "Thank crud I brought these pairs with me!" he laughed as he continued to give chase to the D-Wheels once again, turning the same way they did.

"Wellll… ouch…" Johnny noted that his ankle was suddenly hurting, as if he twisted it. He had to ignore the pain of his ankle, even if he needed to go to the hospital for said injury. He just _needed_ to meet these strangers! _Come on, please don't just be tourists! C'mon, I need me someone to Duel…!_

"You get the sense we're being followed?" Crow asked Yusei with a sweat drop.

"Even if we are, our powerful speed with outmatch their feet!" Jack declared with pride. As always, he was too sure of himself.

"See, this is kinda why I never ask you anything" Crow laughed.

"If they're following us, it must be for good reason… should we stop?" Yusei looked to his comrades.

"Let's do it! If they're daring enough to follow us, then they must have some guts!" Jack bellowed with a sense of greatness.

"Depends. If the guy's lookin' for a Duel, then maybe. If the guy's trying to rob us… we can always just run em' over" Crow said with a sneer as he chuckled along with his best friends. The three slowly hit their brakes upon their decision.

"Then I guess we'll just greet the person, ask them where we are, and look for directions. If anything, something strange could have happened in this town" Yusei said, looking around at the quiet, bland town.

"Or not. Strangest thing that could've happened here is if someone up and decided to leave with no good reason…" Crow sweat dropped. The three came to a halt, and waited for their follower patiently.

"Crap… you guys are frickin' fast!" Johnny shouted in complaint as he tumbled face-forward with a sickening crash. "Ouch… I'm alright!" he jumped back onto his feet. "No one saw that! I'll fight'cha about it if you disagree!"

"Er… we kinda saw… and you've got proof leaking outta your nose" Crow answered with a laugh.

". . . Touché…" Johnny sweat dropped. He looked at Jack, and studied him for a moment. "Heey… aren't you… Yeah… holy crap, you are!" he panicked, backing away a few steps.

"You know me?" Jack asked, pointing to himself.

Johnny looked at Yusei, and then Crow, studying each and every detail of them. "You guys… HOLY FRICKIN' CRAP!" he shouted in sheer joy now. "You guys are Team 5D's! Holy frickin' crap! What're you guys doin' in these here parts?" he asked excitedly as he swiftly took Jack's hands and shook them. "Dude, you're the frickin' ex-King!"

Jack sweat dropped and twitched. He yanked his hands away, "How dare you sully my name with such a title!" argued.

Johnny ignored his reaction and took Yusei's hands, shaking them as well, "Dude, the frickin' King himself! The way you Dueled in the WRGP was just _epic_! No other words can describe it, it was just that frickin' epic!" he said excitedly.

"Thanks, I guess…" Yusei nervously chuckled. He had no idea how to react to this strange, strange adolescent.

"And you…" Johnny grabbed Crow's hands with stars in his eyes. "Dude, you're Crow "The Bullet"! Dude, you, Jack, and Yusei are the three Duelists I've **worshipped** all these years!"

"Better recognize Crow-sama!" Crow laughed as he respectfully fist-pounded Johnny. "Hey, I like this kid!"

"Before we get off-track… Would you mind telling us your name?" Yusei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Right! The name's Johnny Alvarez! And in these here parts, I'm one of the best..." he spaced out as the wind whistled. "Okay! Not _the_ best, I've still got someone I gotta beat!"

"Who's the punk that's not letting you be the best?" Crow asked in confusion.

"The champ of these parts… he's got some awesome card that just keeps letting him win! No one's been able to beat him the every time that he's summoned it" Johnny sighed.

"What card would that be?" Yusei asked.

"I dunno… Ancient-something-Dragon. Meh, anyway, he keeps winning when he brings it out… I dunno, I forgot the real name after a while, so I dunno it by now" Johnny said with a sigh. "But, now that you guys are here…" he raised up an arm, Duel Disk ready and everything, "Mind Dueling me?"

"Sure!" Yusei looked at Crow with a certain look in his eyes. "Er… if we weren't so busy, then sure! But… you get the point…" Crow chuckled nervously with a sweat drop.

"Aw, come on! Pleeeeease!" Johnny begged with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Johnny was it? But we've got to go. We can't stick around for too long" Yusei sighed. _That card he mentioned… Could it possibly be a reincarnation of Ancient Fairy Dragon? Was she reborn into a different Deck for another Signer? Could that explain why everyone else doesn't have a mark anymore?_

"Pleeeeease! It'll just be for a few minutes, I really wanna test out this Deck I've been trying to perfect!" Johnny showed his deck to Yusei.

Yusei took it from Johnny's hands calmly, briefly looking through the Deck. "This…" he skipped through a few cards, nodding his head in interest. "This is quite balanced. If anything, it's almost a reminder of Jack's own Power Deck"

"Are you implying that it's better than mine?" Jack barked in remark to Yusei's comment. There was no possibility that any other Power Deck could be any better than his, he refused it.

"Um…" Yusei paused. He knew not to say much when Jack was all riled up like that. The best thing to do was quietly walk away, and just hope he forgot about it.

"Jack, relax!" Crow panicked for a moment.

"No! Johnny, whatever your name was, I'll Duel you since you're looking for one so bad!" Jack loaded his personal Wheel of Fortune Duel Disk and pointed it at Johnny.

"No way… I'm Dueling Jack's own Power Deck?" Johnny's eyes lit up with excitement. "Now way am I passing this up! This is the chance of a frickin' LIFETIME!" he laughed as he loaded his Duel Disk up as well. "Don't worry, I ain't holdin' back on ya just 'cause you're the king!"

"Good, otherwise I'll be forced to tear down every inch of your confidence!" Jack said as both their Duel Disks invoked the automatic shuffling mechanism as well as invoking the holographic system. Both Duelists then declared "Duel!"

"Aw great… Jack's all fired up" Crow shook his head with a shrug. "Guess we'll have to wait it out, eh, Yusei?"

"I guess so" Yusei sighed. Nothing could be done when Jack got fired up like this, so all Yusei and Crow could do was just wait until the end of the Duel for his hot soul to be cooled down.

* * *

Author's Note: Deal with the third chapter, bubs! XD ((This is already turning horrible since the start already moved AWAY from Yusei, Jack and Crow... I might reconsider this chapter to be the 4th if I decide to change it.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is Directed by Katsumi Ono, made in the studio of Studio Gallop, belonging with all rights going to TV Tokyo. Thank you TV Tokyo for broadcasting this show, and thank the author Satou Masashi for making this show. This is nothing more than another Fan Fiction made by this author. Please support the official show if you are a fan. Please support the official release, again.


	4. Battle! Gerardo vs Johnny!

Author's Note: Today's a special chapter, featuring two Duels, all involving our favorite character! -Crickets- … Fine, he's my favorite character, sheesh! Anyhow, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

"The king will allow you to go first. So make your move!" Jack declared.

Jack: 4000

Johnny: 4000

_Turn 1_

"Don't regret it! My turn, draw!" Johnny looked at his hand with a grin. "Alrighty, I'm startin' things up with this! **Destroyersaurus'** Monster Effect activates in the hand! I ditch this little guy to add a "**Jurassic World**" from the Deck to my hand!" he added the card into his hand. "Know what? I'll play it right now!" he said as the holograms suddenly simulated a wild environment along with the electronic screeches and roars of the ancient beasts.

"This doesn't scare me! You better make a move worthy of even being called a first turn!" Jack hollered.

"I know this ain't gonna impress ya, I just ain't got much to offer ya. So long as this Field Spell remains, all dinos gain 300 Attack and Defense. Kinda minor, but hey, a boost's a boost" Johnny sneered as he took a card out of his hand with his slender fingers. "I'll be playin' my **Jurrac Monoloph**! This guy's a Level 3 Tuner, and he's got 1500 Attack!" the miniature raptor leaped out from the grass, roaring cutely as embers covered its entire body.

**Jurrac Monoloph**: 1800 Attack

"I'll set two more cards and end my turn! Let's see what the ex-King's got!"

_Turn 2_

"Grrr… Don't you dare sully my name with such a title!" Jack shouted in anger as he drew his sixth card. "When you have a monster while I don't, I Special Summon my **Vice Dragon** from my hand!" he declared his starting move as the Level 5 Dragon appeared on the Field, roaring.

**Vice Dragon**: 2000/2400

"Whoaaa! That's kinda quick!" Johnny replied.

"However, when he's Special Summoned by his effect, his abilities are halved" Jack mentioned as **Vice Dragon** fell to 1000 Attack and 1200 Defense. "That isn't the end of my move, because I'll Summon my Level 2 Tuner Monster called **Dark Tinker**!" the miniature demon roared as it held multiple butcher knives in his six hands.

"Er… okay, I don't recognize this move here…" Johnny sweat dropped at the appearance of Jack's strange little bugger.

**Dark Tinker**: 1000 Attack / 1300 Defense.

"That's because… I've found a new way to fight! I'll Tune Dark Tinker to my Vice Dragon! _The ruler's shouts echo throughout! Hammer of Victory, shatter the very earth! _Synchro Summon!Flap your wings,**Exploder Dragonwing**!" Jack commanded with greatness as a large dragon burst out of the light. Its red eyes glowed threateningly as it stared down at Johnny like a real king would.

**Exploder Dragonwing**: 2400 Attack / 1600 Defense

"Whoa… And you didn't even Synchro Summon Red Demons Dragon!" Johnny said in awe.

Jack flinched at the mere mention of Red Demons Dragon that slipped from Johnny's mouth. "Battle! Exploder Dragonwing will attack your **Jurrac Monoloph**!" Jack commanded as his great creature roared. "_King Storm_!" he called out the attack as the dragon launched a beam of red fire at the miniature raptor. It screeched as the flames completely engulfed it!

Johnny: 4000 – 1800 = 2200

"What the! Why'd I lose this many points?" Johnny argued in nothing more than confusion. _Tch, he's good… I noticed the skip in Damage Calculations, but how the heck did that happen!_

"By skipping Damage Calculations… my dragon completely destroys a monster that's weaker than it, and then the opponent takes damage equal to the attack power of the monster! Nothing weak can stand against the king, Johnny! Be more serious if you wanna fight me!" Jack said with boastful confidence.

_Turn 3_

"Tch… If a fight's what ya want, fine then! Draw!" Johnny observed his newly drawn card. "I'll activate the magic of **Fossil Dig**! With this Magic Card, I get to dig through my deck for a Level 6 or Lower Dino in my deck… I'll be pickin' up my **Jurrac Aeolo**!" he couldn't help but sneer.

"My Exploder Dragonwing will not fall to such a lowly creature!" Jack said as Johnny's deck was then shuffled.

"Now, I'll be summoning my **Jurrac Aeolo**!" Johnny stated as the miniature baby formed on the Field, roaring cutely.

"What a pathetic move. How dare you even play that in front of my dragon!"

"Dude, shut it! You're ruining what's supposed to be the epic comeback move!" Johnny said with a sweat drop as he revealed another Spell Card. "Spell Card activate! Double Summon! This turn… I get to summon _twice_!" Johnny said excitedly as another card in his hand glowed red. "The second monster I'm summoning is… **Jurrac Velo**!" Johnny laughed as his signature velociraptor formed on the field, roaring as flames covered its body.

"It's still too weak. No monster you have will possibly stand up to Exploder Dragonwing if that's all you've got!" Jack egged on.

"Tch, yeesh, you're kind of a jerk in real life… oh well, gotta say that your Dueling Skill's the only thing to be admired though. I'll be Tributing this here Jurrac Aeolo to bring back his buddy Jurrac Monoloph!" Johnny grinned as the hatchling evolved into the miniature raptor! Johnny grinned as the hatchling evolved into the miniature raptor!

_Synchro Summon?_ Jack thought as he looked at the card in his hand.

"I'll be Tuning this here Level 3 Jurrac Monoloph with this here Level 4 Jurrac Velo!" the four stars were encircled by three rings. "_Running along the streams of time, your burning instinct lives, even today! Your heart beats will fill the air! Synchro Summon! Appear! _**Jurrac Giganoto**!" he chuckled as his large tyrannosaurus appeared on the field and lit itself aflame like its fallen comrades.

**Jurrac Giganoto**: 2100 Attack / 1800 Defense

"That may have been a good move, but your monster still does not match up to Exploder Dragonwing!" Jack barked.

**Jurrac Giganoto:** 2100 + 300 = 2400

"Now, for his epic effect!"

"And what would that be?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"For every "**Jurrac**" in the grave… she gains 200 Points!" Johnny said with a sneer as Giganoto increased in size.

**Jurrac Giganoto: **2400 + 600 = 3000.

"W-what was that!" Jack couldn't believe the increase in attack. _He managed… to surpass my monster!_

"Goo! Jurrac Giganoto, attack! _Blazing Impact_!" Johnny commanded as the dinosaur heeded the command. It roared and charged in head-on against the dragon. The two clashed with their flames, but in the end… Exploder Dragonwing exploded in epic proportions!

Jack: 4000 – 600 = 3400.

"Tch…" Jack said as the explosion from the attack vanished. Roars could be heard as the Exploder Dragonwing suddenly reconstructed itself from oblivion!

"W-what the? It reformed!" Johnny's surprise couldn't be imagined. _He re-summoned that thing? Damnit, now I've __**really**__ gotta watch where I step here…_

"By sending my **Synchron Resonator** from the hand to the graveyard, I get to negate the destruction of a Synchro Monster on the Field, and it gains 400 Attack Points" Jack declared. The dragon roared mightily as the attack point boost made it stronger.

**Exploder Dragonwing**: 2800

"…Darn, so now I've _really_ gotta watch where I step, eh?" Johnny couldn't help but to grin.

"Yes. While in the presence of the king, you cannot overpower him easily. A true king protects not only his people, but his pride!"

"Heh, turn end! C'mon, let's see that Red Demons Dragon of yours!" Johnny said with a grin. "Come on, stop messin' around already! I've had enough of that ugly dragon thing on the Field! Dude, I seriously wanna see the bad ass Red Demons Dragon you've got!" he excitedly, yet foolishly mentioned.

_Turn 4_

"…" Jack did not respond. In his mind, there was only a cold rage for Johnny even daring to mention Red Demons around him. "My turn!" he drew the new card, and revealed it. "This here… is what will lead me to victory, kid. This turn, you're going to go down…" Jack said with a sigh. When he was calm, he knew the game was over in just one little play. "I'll be playing my **King's Pride** Spell Card!" he commanded as the green card flipped over to reveal itself to Johnny.

"What the…?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Through this card, my Exploder Dragonwing gains 400 Attack Points… and any damage dealt to the opponent through his effect are doubled!" Jack clenched his fist as the climax of this Duel was calming his burning soul now. "Good plays on your part, you've shown an excellent fight, but this is where I prove your powerlessness!" he pointed right at the Giganoto. "Go! _King Storm_!" The dragon roared as it soared into the sky, firing a large beam of flames at the tyrannosaurus.

**Exploder Dragonwing**: 3200

"Hell no, that's not how this Duel's ending! Trap Card open! Ancestral Bypass! Now, this card is a great helper for dinos. I get to ditch 2 Dinos in my deck, and one in my hand, only when a **Jurrac Giganoto** remains face-up on the Field! Next, my Jurrac Giganoto gains a 600 Point Boost because the discarded were **Jurrac Herra** and **Jurrac Deino, **and from the Deck to the Graveyard, I'll lose out my **Jurrac Guaiba**!" Johnny roared in his refusal to give up on this Duel, or even lose at this rate! Jurrac Giganoto corresponded to his will to not give up as it roared mightily enough to shake the battlefield.

"That refusal to lose…" Yusei muttered and looked at Crow. The two of them nodded at one another, as they already knew what they were talking about. _He represents Jack so much just through this Duel. Stardust… would it be alright if we stayed to watch his Duel against the city's champion?_

**Jurrac Giganoto**: 3000 + 600 = 3600.

Jurrac Giganoto shot the beam of flames away with its tail, and roared mightily as it charged towards the dragon with a mighty leap. It then bit down on the dragon's shoulder, and it screamed as Giganoto held a firm grip. The monster shattered into miniature pixels before Jack's very eyes. _What the? This little runt… is winning?_

Jack: 3400 – 400 = 3000.

"Heh, looks like I've got some moves, don't I? I'm still in the game, and got'cha down to 3000 Life!" Johnny loved this Duel, not just because he was Dueling Jack Atlas of Team 5D's. No, it was because this was exciting for him. He'd never experienced such an intense kind of Duel on the ground!

"Now it's my turn, and I'm endin' this Duel right here!" Johnny drew his new card, and then pointed at Jack Atlas. "Battle! Jurrac Giganoto, Direct Attack! _Blazing Impact_!" he commanded the ferocious tyrannosaur as it then charged in at Jack without hesitation. "This is what'cha get for not showing me that Red Demons!" he sneered.

Jack: 3400 – 3600 = 0.

Jack fell silent at the mention of Red Demons Dragon, as well as Crow and Yusei. Only the three of them, out of the group of four, knew the burden of the past. Was it right to enlighten him about it? "You idiot… stop talking about Red Demons like he's a circus freak" Jack spat in what seemed like bitter rage.

"Hey, hey, relax, bro. I ain't trying to offend ya or anything, honestly" Johnny shrugged. "Really, I was just trying to get a good challenge, but without your Red Demons, I still had a great challenge" he sneered. He still had no clue what was bugging the three.

"Johnny…" Yusei took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did an excellent job in that Duel, you were great. Do us a favor, and don't mention Red Demons anymore, alright?"

"What for? I mean, it's not like the thing was stolen from you guys… right?" Johnny looked at the three in confusion.

"It's nothing. Just don't talk about it, alright?" Yusei shook his head with his navy blue eyes showing that there was a burden still on his shoulders. Johnny understood and nodded his head.

"Well, you guys gonna stick around to watch me whoop that champ's behind into the stratosphere!" he asked excitedly.

"Er, depends on Yu-"

"That'd be great" Yusei cut Crow off with a smile on his face. "It'll be fun to watch you use those… what were they called again?"

"Jurracs! They're one-of-a-kind! My granddad gave these cards to my dad back then, but dad never played in his time, so he just passed them off to me. I'm still using these cards, because… well… I dunno, I feel like I always have my gramps right beside me whenever I duel with these cards" Johnny answered with a smile.

"One-of-a-kind? I'd like to see you fight against my Blackwings!" Crow sneered with a laugh.

"Psh, I'll whoop you like I did Jack!" Johnny laughed jokingly.

Yusei couldn't help but to smile at the new friend they just made. He turned to Jack, who was standing there with his fists clenched. He couldn't help it. He just lost to someone so easily, and they took it like a joke. "Jack…"

"It's fine" Jack crossed his arms and stepped over to Johnny with a glaring look on his face. Johnny nervously chuckled and backed away a little bit before Jack stretched out an arm.

"Uh… what's this for?" he sweat dropped, but felt a little relieved. At first, he thought Jack was going to kill him or something!

"It's a handshake, you don't know what a handshake is!" Jack hollered.

"Oh, no no no no! I know, I mean, I thought you were gonna try murdering me…" Johnny sweat dropped. He took Jack's hand, and shook it.

"You gave me a great Duel, and I appreciate it. It looks like there are stronger Power Decks out here in countries beyond Japan" Jack said with a grin. "However, next time, I'll be besting you with power that cannot, and will never be denied!"

"When you get that power, bring it on! My Jurracs will be ready, and I'll crush you with their undying spirits!" Johnny said with a grin as well. The two both had fiery, lively looks in their eyes.

Yusei and Crow looked to each other and laughed. Jack had found himself another version of himself in another region of the world!

* * *

"How could this happen?" an MC screamed into his microphone as the hologram of a red behemoth vanished. "Gerardo has done it again!" the MC screamed as the rest of the crowd hollered in complete excitement.

The blonde-haired man who won couldn't help but to smile at this roaring audience. He wore a top hat, as well as a gentleman's tuxedo with slightly long coattails. He wore purple pants, black shoes, and had a cane in his hand rather than a Duel Disk. "My audience, is there no one out there who can defeat the star of this screening?" Gerardo said with a confident smirk across his face. The other man had walked a walk of shame, losing so easily. It was predictable, but still confidence-shattering to lose swiftly.

The crowd screamed excitedly once more, all of them unable to control their said excitement for him. He loved this. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm disappointed. This show has so far been disappointing, hasn't it?" Gerardo raised his mike. The crowd roared with excitement once more in agreement of his statement. "So, is anyone brave enough to face me?" he fell silent.

"I've got the guts, and I'll back that up!" a voice yelled out from the crowd. Everyone fell silent, even Gerardo closed his mouth, blinking. Running out of the stands was Johnny, with a confident smile over his face.

"So, kid, you're the one that thinks they can beat me?" the champion tried very hard to hold back his laughter. It was a kid who thought they could best him, when no adult had ever even reached him, let alone an adolescent! So what made Johnny think he was any different?

"Heck yeah! I've always been best in Aeten, so now, I wanna try my hand at beatin' the champ of Yuiko!" Johnny answered as he raised his Duel Disk. "Now then, wanna get started, or what?"

The crowd remained silent, waiting for Gerardo's answer. "Hm… sure, why not! This show needed someone new, so you're perfect to cast for the role! Have you got the skill to cast for this show though?" he said with a grin across his face. "Will you be able to follow the script where you magically win in the end?" he couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Heh, I've got enough skill to beat down everyone here and their grandmas, so bring it on champ!" Johnny declared with confidence.

Yusei, Jack, and Crow remained in the stands, arms crossed and patiently watching how this Duel would play out. Perhaps Johnny would win, or he'd utterly lose in one turn like everyone else.

"It seems like Gerardo has a new challenge, ladies and gentlemen! Will this kid prove that he's got the skills to beat the champ, or will he remain undefeated!" the MC screamed and caused the crowd to uproar with excitement as they cheered "Gerardo" as hard as they could.

"Then I'll be the lead role of this play!" Gerardo said as he twirled his cane around his wrist, and it tightened. Then, the cane bent, and out shot a mechanical blade which had the layout of a Duel Disk on it. "This here's where it starts, hope you do well in your casting" he said menacingly as he entered his deck into the proper slot. The mechanic of his Duel Disk shuffled it, and shot five cards into his waiting hand.

"That's cool and all, but stop showin' off, and just start the Duel" Johnny couldn't help but to say. He sweat dropped at the utterance of his sentence, but it just had to be said.

_Turn 1_

Johnny: 4000

Gerardo: 4000

"Those with patience will have good fortune, my boy. You, however, have none, which already makes you unfit for the winning role!" Gerardo drew his sixth card and observed it with a grin. "I'll be starting off with the Field Spell named **Magical Citadel of Endymion**" he said calmly as the entire field was now a large, ancient-looking castle with several spells surrounding the holy palace.

"Tch, you think I'm scared of this thing? Ha!" Johnny stated.

"Now, I'll be summoning the perfect creature to start this little game off. Firstly I'll leave these three others face-down" Gerardo explained nonchalantly as three horizontal cards appeared before him, and in front of them was a vertical hologram of another card. "Now, I'll finish with **Field Barrier**!" the entire place was then surrounded in a mystical, green aura. "Let's see how your well you fit your role… I end"

Magical Citadel Spell Counters: 1

_Turn 2_

Johnny: 4000

Gerardo: 4000

"Enough about these frickin' scripts of yours, I work my own way!" Johnny said aloud, now slightly annoyed by the word "role". "I'll draw!" he examined the new card. _Something useful! He's serious if he's starting with those three face-downs, so I gotta watch where I walk here, otherwise I'll be in for some hell!_ He examined his hand, and grinned at a card his eyes landed on. "First off, I'll be Summoning **Jurrac Guaiba**!" his opening move was a raptor that was on fire.

**Jurrac Guaiba**: 1700 Attack / 400 Defense

"Ooh, a Dinosaur? This fits your role quite well! I can see it now… Using brute force in order to beat down the bad guy! I love it already, but can you maintain your role?" Gerardo grinned. "As an actor, you've taken a bad step. Trap Card activate!" a card flipped over, revealing something that made the crowd go wild once again.

"You've gotta be frickin' kidding me!" Johnny complained.

"**Trap Hole**. Because you stepped into the wrong clothes for your role. When you Normal Summon a creature with 1000 or More Attack, it's destroyed!" Gerardo pointed at Jurrac Guaiba. "Sorry, kid, you're losing that suit _now_".

"Darn…" Johnny put his Dinosaur into the grave. _Sorry gramps, I guess I couldn't start strong… Sorry to you too, dad._

"This kid sucks for walking into that trap!" a member of the crowd yelled in ignorance. The rest of the crowd then also yelled "Boooo!"

"Now, now, he's yet to read the script, that's all!" Gerardo chuckled to assure the crowd.

"I'll set two cards face-down, and end my move" Johnny nervously said. _This guy's not messin' around…_ He observed his hand for a moment, and then observed the opponent's field.

_Turn 3_

Johnny: 4000

Gerardo: 4000

"Now it's my turn, Mr. Alvarez! Please, do tell me how my show is…" the man couldn't help but to smile. "I'll start off with my **Upstart Goblin** Spell Card, with this, I draw a card" he drew a new card. "Now, you, my friend, get a gift from me… You gain 1000 Life Points, isn't that dandy? You're still casting, and I've already given you your first paycheck!"

"…" Johnny sweat dropped and then face-palmed himself. _For a champ, he makes himself sound more and more like a reject actor…_

Gerardo then frowned, "Do you not like how much you were paid?"

Johnny: 5000

Gerardo: 4000

"Then I guess I'll have to take your payment back, and I'll do so when I please…" he sighed as a circle lit up around the castle. "Which is right now, kid."

"The heck?" Johnny looked at the new surroundings' slight change.

"This is the effect of my Field Spell. By playing a Spell card, the magic of my Field gathers the remainder of my Spell Card, and turns it into a Spell Counter. My boy, you will soon know why this place must obtain a Spell Counter" Gerardo grinned. "Now, you'll have a sweet little lesson as to why you must maintain character in the world of movie theatres…" a purple lightning struck down on Johnny's left face-down as he said that.

"What the? The heck did you do!" Johnny looked at the champion in utter surprise as his Duel Disk spat the card out.

"Oh, it's simple. I played Dark World Lightning. I just pop a nuisance for a face-down, and then I get to magically make a card in my hand disappear" Gerardo explained with a chuckle as he extracted a card in his hand. As the Spell Card faded, a green energy filled the palace once more, creating yet another ring around it.

"Okay, is this place supposed to be a frickin' rip-off of Saturn now?" Johnny sweat dropped.

Magical Citadel: Spell Counters: 3

"No, no, I despise Science Fiction. It deprives the audience of what they're really looking for…" Gerardo chuckled as he revealed a card in his hand. "I'll now show you what a _real_ actor can do… I summon **Magical Exemplar **[[Attack: 1700/ Defense: 1400]]!" he said as the holograms projected a young woman with her eyes closed. "Now, I remove 2 Spell Counters off her… oh wait, she doesn't have any…" he grinned slyly as two rings vanished off the Field Spell.

"If she doesn't got any, then why the heck are ya activating her effect for?" Johnny couldn't help but to question it.

"My Magical Citadel wishes to give her a hand with her role. Her role is to Special Summon another Spellcaster-Type Monster from my hand or Graveyard by removing two Spell Counters" the man shrugged.

Magical Citadel: 1

"Now… I Special Summon, from the hand, my **Arcane Apprentice**!" Gerardo commanded as the small, purple-hooded magician popped out from a portal above the Magical Exemplar.

**Arcane Apprentice**: 1000 Attack / 400 Defense

"Next, I'd like you to notice that he's a Tuner Monster. Which means nothing but trouble for the likes of you!" he grinned.

"Tch, I can take any kind of trouble! Bring it, ex-champ! No matter what ya throw at me, the Jurrac tribe ain't gonna give up!" Johnny flipped a Trap Card face-up. "I'll activate my **Fossil Excavation** Trap! With this, I ditch a card to bring up a dino that's been long lost! Revive, **Jurrac Tyrannus**!" he called out as the large tyrannosaurus formed on the hologram, roaring with great, prideful might!

**Jurrac Tyrannus**: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Hm, nice move there…" Gerardo commented before looking at Johnny. "I don't remember that ever being played, not in your last turn…" he scratched his chin.

"I ditched him for Fossil Excavation, so of course he's a choice once he's hit the grave. So how's the casting looking now?" Johnny grinned.

"So far… good. But, let's not get _too_ cocky!" Gerardo pointed at his two creatures. "Now, Arcane Apprentice, please be a dear and Tune with my Magical Exemplar. _A bright star will be born from the darkness of horrible scripts…_" his chant began as two rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_They will take the show, and win the audience's heart!_ Synchro Summon!" the lights of the rings and stars exploded with great might. "Enchant, **Tempest Magician**!" he clapped as a large female sorcerer overtook the playing field! "Now, her effect activates! When she's done hitting the field, she gains a Spell Counter as well!" Gerardo smirked.

Tempest Magician Spell Counters: 1

Magical Citadel Spell Counters: 1

"Now, I activate the Spell Power Grasp Spell Card! This magical card will give one card on the Field a Spell Counter instantly!" Tempest Magician sung beautifully with green energy as a ring formed around her body, and then a second one. "Next, my Spell Card leaves magical energy for the Citadel to recycle!" he commanded as yet another energy circled around the castle.

Magical Citadel: 2

Tempest Magician: 2

"Now, the last effect of the card allows _moi_ to search for another Spell of the same name! Come, Spell Power Grasp!" the card ejected itself from his deck, and shot perfectly into his hand. The crowd screamed in sheer awe of what he just did.

"Tch… keep it goin', I ain't got much to say to you" Johnny grumbled, looking at the Tempest Magician. _Her Attack Power ain't enough for my powerhouse here… now let's see what he's got!_

Tempest Magician: 2200 Attack / 1400 Defense

"Now, look at the two cards in my hand carefully, kid. These are all I'll need in order to end your career here! Nice try casting though!" he immediately discarded the cards and pointed at his Tempest Magician dramatically. "Tempest Magician's effect activates at this time! By discarding as many cards in my hand, I can place Spell Counters wherever I wish! Trap Card activate, in response to her effect, Pitch-Black Power Stone!" Gerardo commanded fiercely as the holograms projected a black stone of pure mystery. The black stone's golden seal then shone once, twice, and three times, revealing all three triangles to be filled with a mystic energy.

"Now, Pitch-Black Power Stone is a magical Trap that contains three magical energies that we call "Spell Counters". We are about to enter the world of wizardry and witchcraft, Johnny, so hope you know a spell or two" he grinned as Tempest Magician sung beautifully once more. Suddenly, two more green rings appeared around her, and flames began to sprout from the ground adjacent to her.

"The heck? How the heck am I supposed to know magic, I don't even watch those kinds of movies!" Johnny argued.

"Then I'm afraid you're at a disadvantage and so early into this game too… Now, the card I discarded that is causing the flame you see is called "The Fabled Cerburrel", a card that was based upon the mystical creature that we all know as "Cerberus". Now, to make it easier for you to remember his name, just call him Fluffy! Behold, the mighty Cerburrel!" he commanded with a great voice as

The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense.

"… That's… random…" Johnny sweat dropped.

The crowd went "Awww" the moment that the three-headed puppy appeared on the holographic castle's grounds. The puppy barked, and Johnny dropped his head. _Great, the champ thinks I'm so pathetic, that he only needs a puppy to beat me… This is just depressing…_ Johnny shook his head, and looked at Gerardo to watch his next movements.

"Alrighty, now my Tempest Magician's effect now activates at this time! Ha-ha, it's already close to finished for you!"

Johnny: 5000

Gerardo: 4000

Tempest Magician: 4 Spell Counters

Magical Citadel: 2 Spell Counters

Pitch-Black Power Stone: 3 Spell Counters

"By sending every Spell Counter on the Field to the graveyard…" the rings around the castle all shattered, as well as the rings around Tempest Magician and the black stone shattered to pieces, leaving three orbs of mystic energy behind its previous existence. All of the energies gathered into Tempest Magician's scepter as she swung it in Johnny's direction, unleashing a large blast of light at him.

"Holy sh—" before the sentence was even finished, the light completely engulfed him, and his Life Point parameters shot down immediately!

9 Spell Counters x 500 Damage = 4500.

Johnny: 500

Gerardo: 4000

"Hm, whoops, looks like I made an off calculation… Oh wells!" Gerardo couldn't help but to grin as the light faded away from Johnny, leaving him breathless.

"Guess that's why you're the champ… you've got moves to rock our worlds" Johnny coughed with a grin. Everyone around them cheered for Gerardo once again, all of their hearts and souls coming out for this kind of excitement.

"My turn isn't over yet. I said I plan on ending your career on this turn, and I honestly meant it. See the Cerburrel over here?" he pointed at it nonchalantly. "As great of a creature it is, it isn't just a regular Effect Monster…"

"Wait… you aren't serious!" Johnny panicked as he came to a sudden realization of what that monster was.

"Yes. A Tuner Monster, and one of the most effective ones… Tempest, be a darling and go for a new costume change. Your new dress rehearsal is about to begin!" Gerardo pointed at the red ring and the blue ring that surrounded the Tempest Magician. The Fabled Cerburrel barked as he faded into the mechanical-looking rings and Tempest Magician faded as well, leaving nothing more than six orbs of yellow lights. Flames completely overtook the field as Gerardo finally chuckled a little bit.

"A-Ace Monster?" Johnny questioned immediately. Most Ace Monsters were usually summoned for grandeur occasions, or as 'just in case' mechanisms meant to be a surprise later on in the Duel. Due to the Synchro Monster Gerardo was summoning being a Level 8, he assumed it was going to be Gerardo's Ace Monster, which wasn't going to look too good for Johnny's own sake!

"Level 6: Tempest Magician to Level 2: The Fabled Cerburrel Tuning!" the flames spread out even more as they swung wildly around the playing field.

Yusei's eyes widened at the immense Synchro Summon of what was just a Level 8 Synchro Monster! _What power…_ He couldn't help but to feel a little curious now. Suddenly, his forearm began to burn, and he flinched. The Head Birthmark shone a dim light that caught Jack and Crow's attention all at once.

"Yusei, you aren't saying that thing's supposed to be what I think it is, right?" Crow looked serious. Never was Crow one to be serious, but if he was, then it was for a _reason_.

"I don't know… the mark's glowing in response to this Synchro Summon, so I think this is the Crimson Dragon's way of telling us that this is, perhaps, one of the new generation of Signer Dragons!" Yusei watched the stage.

"If that's the case, then that Gerardo might be the Signer that Dragon belongs to" Jack added on, the three of them nodding their heads at one another, and returning their attention back to the dancing flames.

_Darn it, he's about to kick my ass around, and he's gonna make sure he's done with me like fried chicken!_ Johnny held his ground and looked at the only card left face-down on his Field. He counted only two cards left in his hand. This wasn't looking all too good for him.

"_Lights, Cameras, ACTION!_ Synchro Summon! Break, **Meteo-Rage Dragon**!" Gerardo commanded as the flames finally settled, and vanished, revealing a large, red behemoth with claws the size of lighthouses! The dragon opened its savage eye, revealing a yellow tint to its eye color, and the wings unfolded, revealing blue scales along the frame of the wing. It was tall, and stood on two feet with talons large enough to trample whole buildings and then some. Finally, it's long red tail swung back and forth as spikes erupted from the lining of its back, and flames arose around several limbs of its body.

"W-what the heck? That thing ain't a monster… that thing's Rainbow-Zilla!" Johnny said not only as a joke, but also in a mean to panic as he fell back. _H-how the heck am I gonna fight that thing? That thing's probably big enough to kill me ten times over with a flick of a claw! Yeesh, and I thought Jack's pride was the largest thing in the world!_

"This is where your acting career ends. Kudos to you attempting to be the hero of this story" Gerardo smirked.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Battle! Meteo-Rage Dragon, squash that Tyrannus! _Meteor Blaze_!" Gerardo commanded as his dragon roared with great might, unleashing a giant blast of flames at the Tyrannus!

"Tch. You ain't getting away that easily, Trap Card Open; **Magic Cylinder**!" Johnny clicked the button immediately, flipping over the Trap Card. Two bracelets appeared in the air, one obviously absorbing the attack. "Through this card's effect, I negate your attack, and make you take damage equal to your Monster's attack power! FIRE!" the flames of Meteo-Rage Dragon's attack launching right back at Gerardo's face.

Johnny: 500

Gerardo: 1400

"Humph, looks like you're desperate to survive in this world. I took back your paycheck, and made you pay back for the missing costumes. You've only got 500 Life Points left, kid. We'll see how far you can go with only 500 Points left" Gerardo crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Calmly, he said "Turn End."

_Turn 4_

"My..." Johnny paused, and breathed in deeply as he touched the very top of his deck. Meteo-Rage Dragon roared mightily in front of him, as if to disrupt his thoughts. _That thing's got 2600 Attack Points, so it wasn't enough to really finish me off anyway, but I still ain't got a clue on that thing's effect…_ He slowly started to extract the card, swallowing hard. _Come on deck, don't fail me now… I refuse to go home looking like a fool!_ He prayed silently as he drew his new card, "Turn!" He looked at the card calmly, and his eyes shone with excitement.

"Hm?" Gerardo raised an eyebrow as he opened one eye. "Got something to show the rest of the crowd, Mr. Alvarez?" he asked.

"Yeah… a move that's gonna bring your career _down_!" Johnny grinned as he looked at Jurrac Tyrannus. He nodded at it as he revealed green card in his hand. "I activate the Spell Card called **Creature Swap**! With this, I get to switch our monsters!" Johnny pointed at his Jurrac Tyrannus. "Now, I plan on giving you this guy here in exchange for one of your own monsters. Now gimme that Meteo-Rage Dragon since you ain't got anything else!" he couldn't help but to grin at his plan.

"Humph, it appears that you want to borrow my costume so badly. Fine then" Gerardo watched the two creatures teleport onto opposite sides of the Field now. "Still, you don't have a clue on how to play this part, so I don't see a point in you taking my Meteo-Rage Dragon in the first place" he sighed.

"Oh, I know plenty on this part, I just gotta beat you down with raw power!" Johnny grinned as he revealed a Monster in his hand. "I'll first be Summoning my **Jurrac Velo**! Next up, I'll be using the very last card in my hand that I've been saving up this whole time…" Johnny revealed the Spell in his hand. "It's over, now I've got control over this Duel! I activate Solidarity!"

Suddenly, the field was then amassed with a single skull and the rest of the bones in the middle of the field. The new change made Jurrac Velo roar savagely as the flames on its body surged violently. "With this Continuous Spell, since I got a dino in the grave, all dinos on the Field go up by 800 Points!" Johnny grinned as he pointed at his Velo. "Now he got the same points as Tyrannus over there! It's over! Jurrac Velo, smash into my Tyrannus!" he ordered in command as the tyrannosaurus and the velociraptor crashed into one another, the both of them exploding mightily.

The crowd gasped in response to what was going on. Could there be a chance that Johnny was going to win this match? "Hmph, nice move there, kid" Gerardo grinned, and looked up at his Ace Monster. Meteo-Rage Dragon roared mightily as flames gathered in the gaping void that was the dragon's mouth.

"Finish it off! Direct Attack! _Meteor Blaze_!" Johnny pointed at Gerardo, who only had a flimsy 1400 Life Points left, sizably greater than Johnny's 500 though. The dragon roared as it launched a stream of fire at its original owner, dealing the last 2600 Points of Damage to Gerardo.

Gerardo: 0

"W-w-w-what! HOW… COULD THIS HAPPEN!" the MC screamed into his microphone as his eyes were wide with disbelief. How could a kid beat the city-wide champ? The crowd watched in horror as Gerardo lost his Duel against Johnny. The stage went silent as Johnny basked in his victory with a sigh.

"Come on, let us hail the new champion! He's done well, and he earned his lead role!" Gerardo fed the flames as the crowd then roared back to life! The spotlights all rained on Johnny, who was now shaking hands with Gerardo. Johnny was the new champion, even he couldn't believe it!

"This has to be the best day of my life! Hope I made ya proud, dad!" Johnny laughed to himself as the crowd then cheered Johnny's name all over the place. This victory, this moment, was all on Johnny.

* * *

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is Directed by Katsumi Ono, made in the studio of Studio Gallop, belonging with all rights going to TV Tokyo. Thank you TV Tokyo for broadcasting this show, and thank the author Satou Masashi for making this show. This is nothing more than another Fan Fiction made by this author. Please support the official show if you are a fan. Please support the official release, as aforementioned.


	5. Go! Junk Destroyer vs MeteoRage Dragon!

_ Turn 4 _

_Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense_

_ Johnny: 500_

_ Gerardo: 1400_

"Finish it off! Direct Attack! _Meteor Blaze_!" Johnny pointed at Gerardo, who only had a flimsy 1400 Life Points left, sizably greater than Johnny's 500 though. The dragon roared as it launched a stream of fire at its original owner, dealing the last 2600 Points of Damage to Gerardo.

Gerardo: 0

"W-w-w-what! HOW… COULD THIS HAPPEN!" the MC screamed into his microphone as his eyes were wide with disbelief. How could a kid beat the city-wide champ? The crowd watched in horror as Gerardo lost his Duel against Johnny. The stage went silent as Johnny basked in his victory with a sigh.

Yusei smiled at Johnny's great win, and began to applaud for him.

"Yeah, way to go, Johnny! WOO! We knew you could do it!" Crow yelled in excitement as he too applauded with excitement. Jack huffed and applauded for him as well. The rest of the audience nodded their heads and began to applaud for Johnny as well, while Gerardo took a few steps towards Johnny.

"Way to go, kid" he reached out to Johnny. "You're gonna go far, kid. Looks like you're the new city-wide champ" Gerardo grinned.

"Yeah… but no" Johnny smiled, shaking his head. "I wanted to be champ for the fame and respect, but after all of this… I think I just wanna be relaxing, ha-ha-ha!" he laughed along with the champion, better said 'former champion' anyway.

"Whatever, kid. I just know you're gonna go far if you keep Dueling the way you did today" Gerardo chuckled as he extracted a card from his custom-made Duel Disk. The Duel Disk then reverted into a cane, and he twirled it. "Just because you don't feel like accepting the responsibility as lead role of the champion's road doesn't mean you won't be doing it anyway" he said as he extended his arm out to Johnny. "Here, a token of appreciation for the great Duel."

"What great Duel? You almost frickin' killed me in two turns. I'll repeat it! TWO turns!" Johnny flailed his arm before noticing the card in front of him. "No, no, no, keep it! I don't need someone feeling like they gotta give me a c—"

"Take it. For some odd reason, it feels like this card shouldn't belong with me anymore. It's crying out, calling for that awesome acting skill you've got" Gerardo shrugged. "Just promise me that you'll use it in later shows like this. A real lead actor would be able to control this to the fullest of extents" he said with a deep, resounding voice.

Johnny sighed, and took the card into his hand, looking at the back of the card. _A gift from the ex-champ. Gotta say, this day's been epic!_ He turned over the card, only to see that it was Meteo-Rage Dragon! "W-what kind of joke is this! I can't accept your Ace Monster no—"

"Stop. You've assumed that's my Ace Monster, just like everybody and their grandmothers. No, the Ace was my Tempest Magician, but because of miscalculations in how much you owed me, I had to finish you off with him before the Duel could swing to this conclusion. Oh well, gotta say, we put up a great show for the century!" Gerardo smiled, shook Johnny's hand, then turned away and waved. "You foiled that tragic ending I was going for, and made an alternative happy ending for this play" he soon began to walk away from the stadium, as did everyone else except for Yusei, Jack, and Crow.

* * *

_Several hours later…_

"Man, were we off about that Gerardo guy!" Crow sighed, revving up his D-Wheel. It was about time that the visiting Team 5D's members left anyway, they overstayed their welcome.

"Tch, if it isn't him, then who the hell is the Signer!" Jack growled as he revved his D-Wheel as well.

"I don't know… My hunch was that it was Gerardo, but I guess we were wrong. Ah, well, at least we're aware of the location of the new Signer Dragon, so we should pick it up from Johnny" Yusei recommended, crossing his arms and relaxing his back against the wall.

"If anything, I say we take it from 'em, and never come back. He'll never know" Jack suggested. The three wound up laughing at the joking suggestion.

"Well, if he doesn't wanna give it to us, I say we don't rush the guy, I mean we're already mooching off him enough as it is, I doubt he'd give a one-of-a-kind card to someone else" Crow added his contribution into the discussion.

"Well, we have to find out a way to do it without offending him…" Yusei muttered as he extracted his glove. He looked at his Head Signer birthmark once more, hoping an answer would come to mind. It began to glow slightly, and Yusei raised a brow. _Crimson Dragon… are you trying to tell me something?_

"Hey, Yusei!" a familiar voice rang out. Yusei looked up, seeing Johnny grinning in front of him. "Dude, I've gotta thank all of you guys for the support you guys gave me!" he said excitedly.

"Psh, no problem!" Crow laughed.

_The birthmark glows as he is in possession of that card…_ Yusei looked at Johnny dead-straight in the eyes. _Gerardo reasoned that he gave the card to Johnny because it seemed to belong to him… I wonder why that was…_

"Uh… what's up? Did I do something wrong?" Johnny sweat dropped.

"What would you say if I were to tell you that you were holding something important in your deck?" Yusei wondered for a moment on Johnny's reaction to what Yusei was going to have to tell him. The birthmark slowly began to burn a little bit more. _Crimson Dragon… are you perchance telling me that…_

"Uh, I'd probably say that it's impossible. Dude, I'm a regular ol' Joe, not some mystical man with a card that can save the world…" Johnny responded with a sweat drop. This was a normal response for someone who didn't catch wind of what Yusei and co. were really doing instead of regular, everyday Dueling.

Yusei sighed and revealed his glowing birthmark to Johnny in broad daylight. "Do you see this birthmark?"

"Dude… that's an epic tattoo ther—Wait, it's a birthmark? Dude, that's an EPIC birthmark you've got there!" Johnny applauded Yusei with a grin.

"It's a symbol of my friendship with my friends, but that card you hold in your deck, it's one of the five Signer Dragons that were resurrected by the previous ones" Yusei explained, trying to be fast about it, but calm too. "That card, Meteo-Rage Dragon, is one of the reincarnations of the Signer Dragons we once had, but now they are gone. Are you still with me?" he raised a brow, seeing Johnny's expression of confusion.

"Um… no. I'm really not understanding this, I mean why would Gerardo just give me a card like that out of nowhere?"

"Gerardo doesn't know anything about Signers, so he of course had no idea of the importance that card holds. Johnny, please understand, we don't want to do this, but we need that card in order to help save the world from a future danger" Yusei tried to reason.

"How do you know I ain't one of those Signer people? I mean, Gerardo gave me this card for a _reason_, right?" Johnny pleaded. He didn't want to part with the card, despite that he had just gotten it from the ex-champion so recently.

"The only way to tell is through a Duel, and we saw your Duel with Jack, you bore no mark on your arm, and Jack pushed you hard" Yusei explained, crossing his arms.

"Well, I dunno, then Duel me or something! I'll prove that this guy here belongs with me!" Johnny flailed his arms.

"…" Yusei didn't know what to say any further.

"Take his offer on that Duel" Jack suggested, looking at Yusei. Yusei turned to him, surprised.

"You're being serious, right?" Yusei asked with his eyes wide. _This is not normal. Jack never usually suggests __**wasting**__ more time…_

"In that Duel with me, and even in that Duel against Gerardo, Johnny there put his soul on the line, and overcame the challenges. If you asked me, it'd be kicking his pride to downright turn down his challenge and tell him to give his card to us without a fight" Jack crossed his arms at the end of that thought-out speech.

"Pleease? If you win, I really will give Meteo-Rage Dragon to you, no fuss about it" Johnny pleaded once more. Maybe this time, Yusei would have a change of heart?

"Yusei, give 'em a try, it's not like the world's gonna end after this Duel, so why not?" Crow asked, grinning. He'd love to see a Duel between Yusei and Johnny anyway, seeing as the two had a similar kind of luck, and keen sense in playing their cards.

Yusei sighed, smiling at the sight of his friends saying these words. After all these encouraging words, he may as well have just accepted the fact that he'd have to Duel for Meteo-Rage Dragon, no matter what. "Fine, I'll accept your challenge" Yusei's custom-made Duel Disk invoked, along with Johnny's.

"Sweet! Bring it on, Yusei!" Johnny grinned as Yusei and Johnny's Decks were both shuffled by the machine on its own.

"Duel!" the both of them declared.

_Turn 1_

Yusei: 4000

Johnny: 4000

"I'll take the first turn, if ya don't mind! Draw!" Johnny drew the new card into his hand, and couldn't hold back his smile. "First, I'll start off by setting this little monster, and then set two cards face-down. That'll be the end of this turn, for now!" Johnny declared as two vertical cards and a single horizontal card were registered onto the holographic field.

_Turn 2_

Yusei: 4000

Johnny: 4000

"My turn!" Yusei drew his new card, and his navy blue eyes examined his hand for a moment. "First, I'll begin by sending my **Quillbolt Hedgehog** to the graveyard from my hand. Now, for that, I get to Special Summon my **Quickdraw Synchron**!" Yusei commanded as the mechanical cowboy formed on the field, guns loaded.

"Weird little critter you've got yourself there" Johnny commented, sweat dropping at the 'threatening' monster.

"That's not how this turn ends though, because I Summon my **Tuningware**!" Yusei added onto his miniature army of Monsters.

"A first turn Synchro Summon? They don't call you Duel King for nothing then…" Johnny muttered.

"Now, **Quillbolt Hedgehog's** effect activates in the graveyard. When a Tuner Monster is on the Field, he's brought back! Return, Quillbolt!" the miniature hedgehog with multiples screws and bolts on its back took its appearance onto the Field. "Next, I'll be Tuning the Level 5 **Quickdraw Synchron** with the Level 2 **Quillbolt Hedgehog** and the Level 1 **Tuningware**! _Clustering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god_! _Become the path its light shine's upon! _Synchro Summon! Obliterate, Junk Destroyer!" five rings circled around three orbs of light. The lights exploded, forming a large, black and orange machine with four arms and two pairs of mechanical wings. The mechanical warrior's eyes glowed red as it roared and its chest plate opened up.

Junk Destroyer: 2600 Attack / 2500 Defense

The chest plate opened up widely as a large tsunami emitted from it, crashing onto the field and annihilating a vertical card and the horizontal card without warning! "Tidal Energy, **Junk Destroyer's** effect. When he's Synchro Summoned, I destroy cards on the Field equal to the non-Tuners used for his Synchro Summon. There were two at the time" Yusei crossed his arms as the mechanical warrior roared again, banging its fists against its closed chest plate. "Not only that, but Tuningware's effect now activates from the graveyard. When he's used for a Synchro Summon, I draw one card" he drew his new card. His navy blue eyes then examined the new card he drew, and he nodded his head.

"Hmph, nice more there, Yusei…" Johnny muttered, looking at the hulking giant in front of him. Once this one attacked, Yusei would have the full advantage by Life Points! _Darn it, I may have to use that already, on the double!_

"There's still more. First, I'll play **Double Summon**. During this turn, I'm able to Normal Summon a second time... and I know just who to Summon!" Yusei looked at the card of his choice, and just smiled. "I'll Normal Summon my Junk Synchron, whose effect activates when he's Normal Summoned. Now, I get to pick a Level 2 or Lower Monster in the grave and Special Summon it!" his discard pile began to glow as it spat out his Tuningware "Return! Tuningware!" he said as the miniature pot-headed machine grunted on the field. "Level 1 Tuningware, Level 3, Junk Synchron Tuning!" the three rings circled around a single orb of light. "Synchro Summon! Appear! **Armory Arm**!" Yusei snapped his fingers as the robotic arm appeared on the field, red claws twitching. Yusei then drew another card, thanks to his Tuningware's effect.

Armory Arm: 1800 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Thanks, Yusei! Now I've got a good move to pull! Trap Activate, **Hunting Instinct**! When you Special Summon, I get to Special Summon a Dinosaur-type in my hand! Come on out, **Jurrac Velo**!" Johnny slammed the card onto his Duel Disk, and it shone bright as the holograms projected a red-headed velociraptor with a yellow body.

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Woo, I thought Johnny wasn't gonna live for a second there!" Crow sighed in relief. _It's only the second turn, and the heat's already up! Wonder if Johnny got anything up his sleeve for this._

"Hm, Summoning a Monster on the Opponent's Turn… A good play, Johnny" Yusei admitted with a smile. _So am I going to witness the power that Jack had lost to?_ "Armory Arm's effect now activates. I equip him to a Monster on the Field, and the Equipped Monster will gain 1000 Attack Points" he mentioned as the floating mechanical arm attached onto Junk Destroyer's arm.

Junk Destroyer: 2600 + 1000 = 3600.

"Hmph, more power? I somehow think I'm Dueling Jack" Johnny sneered.

"Junk Destroyer, attack the Jurrac Velo! _Destroy Knuckle_!" Yusei ordered as the mechanical warrior roared, and its fists glowed with an orange energy. The warrior shot each energy projectile forward like bullets as its eyes glowed a furious red! The dinosaur was no match, for the first hit completely annihilated it!

Johnny: 4000 – 1900 = 2100.

"Tch, nice move…" Johnny grinned, but he witnessed as Junk Destroyer now stood in front of him, with Armory Arm's palm open. "What… is this…?" Johnny's eyes widened in reaction to this surprising move.

"Now, Armory Arm's effect activates. When the Equipped Monster destroys the opponent's monster by battle, the opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's original attack! Go! _Meteor Knuckle_!" Yusei commanded as the mechanical warrior responded, unleashing a plethora of energy waves at Johnny!

"Tch, ahhh!" Johnny responded almost painfully as the damage lowered his Life Points once again.

Johnny: 2100 – 1700 = 400.

Crow whistled in impression, "Dang. Yusei's not playing around here, he already knocked the kid's Life Points down to 400."

"Yes… but will the Duel remain one-sided? That's the question" Jack said, closing his eyes as he remembered his Duel against Johnny a few hours ago. "We will see in the upcoming Turn" Jack said with his arms crossed.

"Jurrac Velo's never alone when he's destroyed… whenever he's destroyed by battle, while in Attack Position, the Jurrac Tribe will hear his call… Come! **Jurrac Aeolo**!" Johnny commanded as the hatchling formed on the field, roaring cutely in Defense Position.

"I'll end my turn on that one" Yusei crossed his arms, awaiting for Johnny's next move.

_Turn 4_

Johnny: 400

Yusei: 4000

"Alright then… my turn!" Johnny drew his new card, and he couldn't help but to grin at himself. "Yusei, I'm about to kick this Duel into a whole new world! I play the **Ancient Digging** Spell Card. Now, I remove a Dinosaur-type in my graveyard from play to draw two cards, however, I can't Draw for the next two turns. It's worth it though!" Johnny drew his next two cards, still grinning. "Next up, I Summon **Jurrac Plessie**!" Johnny grinned as a very long-necked, finned dinosaur with a sleek blue skin color and flame-like design on its sides.

Jurrac Plessie: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level: 4

"Now, I'd like to point out that this here's a Tuner Monster, and very special one at that! You'll see what she can do in a minute…" he then pointed at his Jurrac Aeolo. "Now, this little guy's just about ready to grow up, right Aeolo?" Johnny explained as the dinosaur roared once more. Next, the creature glowed white, and began to shift its shape, tuning into a velociraptor with a yellow-green body and a red head. "Evolve into your fallen comrade, Jurrac Velo!" Johnny commanded as the velociraptor roared once more.

"Hm, a nice move there…" Yusei noted, nodding his head. _A Synchro Summon as well? It looks like this will be a match of Synchro now…_ Yusei looked at his Armory Arm-Equipped Junk Destroyer.

"Now then, I'll be Tuning this here Level 4 Jurrac Velo to this Level 4 Jurrac Plessie! _Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact!_ Synchro Summon! Break, **Meteo-Rage Dragon**!" the rings turned blue and yellow and the orbs turned red as flames spread across the field. The dragon roared as it slashed its way out of them, making its appearance. The wings of the dragon unfolded as the flames finally settled down, its savage yellow eyes looking down on Junk Destroyer.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense

Yusei's birthmark suddenly began to glow furiously red, and Johnny looked at it with awe. He stared at it, but suddenly, his body began to hurt a little, more specifically on his left forearm. _G-guh! What's this pain?_ His arm began to burn to the point that it was too painful, he could barely stand against his throbbing arm. His pulse began to speed up as crimson light suddenly radiated from his arm, taking on a peculiar form. _I-it hurts! Wh-what the hell's going on here?_ His arm throbbed and pulsed hard as the light took on a definite shape, appearing to look like a pair of wings!

_Th-that's Jack's birthmark!_ Yusei thought with his eyes wide in surprise. _Crimson Dragon… this whole time… you selected Johnny?_

"U-ugh…" Johnny struggled to stand up straight, and his Meteo-Rage Dragon roared loudly. "I-it's still… my turn…" he struggled to say as he pointed at Yusei. "You're… going down… this turn…" Johnny revealed three Spell Cards in his hand. "First, I activate my Jurassic World Field Spell… next… I activate Solidarity…" he panted as the entire holographic field transformed into a virtual forest with the skeletal linings of fallen dinosaurs. "Now, all Dinos gain not just a 300 point boost, but now, an 1100 Point Boost!" he explained with a sly little grin.

"I don't know if you're in need of those sunglasses over your head, Johnny, but last I checked, Meteo-Rage Dragon is a Dragon-type Monster" Yusei crossed his arms.

"Oh-ho-ho… Nope, Yusei, Meteo-Rage Dragon's got one of the most epic abilities in this Deck… While he's face-up on the Field, he's also treated as a Dinosaur-type Monster!"

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 + 1100 = 3700 Attack / 2000 + 300 = 2300 Defense |

Current Score: Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3700 Attack / 2300 Defense

"Now then, Yusei… I've got one move left, and this'll assure the very end of this Duel… Equip Spell, activate! Go, Megamorph!" Johnny commanded as a marking appeared over his dragon's chest. The creature roared as it glowed with a red aura. "This card, while my Life's Lower than the opponent's Life, the equipped monster's attack power is _doubled_!"

"D-Doubled? But… that's a total of…" Yusei was amazed.

"7400 Attack Power! Try beating that, Yusei!" Johnny laughed with a grin on his face. He had fun, that's one thing he could admit that he had from this Duel. "Battle! Meteo-Rage Dragon, attack! Trample that Junk Destroyer! _Meteor Blaze_!" he commanded as a large burst of flames emitted from the dragon's mouth, completely swallowing the Junk Destroyer whole thing!

"Ahhh!" Yusei yelled as the flames engulfed his entire body, but it didn't eat away at him. No, it whittled his Life Points to a miniscule amount!

Yusei: 200

Johnny: 400

"W-whoa! Johnny brought their differences down, big-time! Still though…" Crow looked at Yusei. "Yusei's probably got another move for him to use, so now… it all lies on the draw that Yusei gets…"

"Turn End, Yusei!" Johnny smiled. _This is a heck of an epic Duel… sure, Yusei fried me with this mark thing on my arm, but I'll just be sure to sue the dude before he leaves… I needs money anyway…_ He sweat dropped slightly with a nervous chuckle.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 1850 Attack Points

_Turn 5_

Yusei: 200

Johnny: 400

"My turn!" Yusei drew his new card, and he closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply. Johnny cringed, because he knew Yusei for his lucky draws, especially in situations like these. Crow and Jack watched Yusei intently. This was the point of climax, all riding on Yusei's one draw! The conclusion now hung in the balance of the card that Yusei drew!

* * *

Author's Note: Take that, society! I just made you read into a frickin' cliffhanger! :P Read the next chapter if you really wanna know who won!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is Directed by Katsumi Ono, made in the studio of Studio Gallop, belonging with all rights going to TV Tokyo. Thank you TV Tokyo for broadcasting this show, and thank the author Satou Masashi for making this show. This is nothing more than another Fan Fiction made by this author. Please support the official show if you are a fan. Please support the official release, as aforementioned.


	6. Falling Down

_Turn 4_

Johnny struggled to stand up, as the pain from the newly-formed birthmark completely overtook him by surprise! _Cheap tricks ain't separating me from this guy… Gerardo trusted me with it, and I plan on winnin' here, Yusei!_ He smiled at the cards in his hand as he struggled to remain standing. "You're… going down… this turn…" he revealed three Spell Cards in his hand. "First, I activate my Jurassic World Field Spell… next… I activate Solidarity…" he panted as the entire holographic field transformed into a virtual forest with the skeletal linings of fallen dinosaurs. "Now, all Dinos gain not just a 300 point boost, but now, an 1100 Point Boost!" he explained with a sly little grin.

"I don't know if you're in need of those sunglasses over your head, Johnny, but last I checked, Meteo-Rage Dragon is a Dragon-type Monster" Yusei crossed his arms.

"Oh-ho-ho… Nope, Yusei, Meteo-Rage Dragon's got one of the most epic abilities in this Deck… While he's face-up on the Field, he's also treated as a Dinosaur-type Monster!"

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3700 Attack / 2300 Defense

"Now then, Yusei… I've got one move left, and this'll assure the very end of this Duel… Equip Spell, activate! Go, Megamorph!" Johnny commanded as a strange, glowing marking appeared over his dragon's chest. The creature roared as it glowed with a red aura. "This card, while my Life's lower than the opponent's Life, the equipped monster's attack power is _doubled_!"

"D-Doubled? But… that's a total of…" Yusei was amazed. Never had he seen anyone Duel with such a burning passion, other than Jack, Crow, Akiza, Leo and Luna! _Johnny… he embodies what it really means to be a Duelist as well…_ He smiled, and nodded at the mental note he made.

"Battle! Meteo-Rage Dragon, attack! Trample that Junk Destroyer! _Meteor Blaze_!" Johnny commanded as a large burst of flames emitted from the dragon's mouth, completely swallowing the Junk Destroyer! The Junk Destroyer roared as it tried to fight back, but it shattered into multiple pixels.

"Ahhh!" Yusei yelled as the flames engulfed his entire body, but it didn't eat away at him. No, it whittled his Life Points to a miniscule amount!

Yusei: 200

Johnny: 400

"W-whoa! Johnny brought their differences down, big-time! Still though…" Crow looked at Yusei. "Yusei's probably got another move for him to use, so now… it all lies on the draw that Yusei gets…"

"Looks like my math is terrible… I thought this was the finishing move…" Johnny scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "Turn End, Yusei!" he smiled. _This is an epic Duel… sure, Yusei fried me with this mark thing on my arm, but I'll just be sure to sue the dude before he leaves… I needs money anyway…_ He sweat dropped slightly with a nervous chuckle.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3700/2 = 1850 Attack Points Currently.

_Turn 5_

Yusei: 200

Johnny: 400

"My turn!" Yusei drew his new card, and his navy blue eyes examined the card well. _**Synchron Explorer**…_ Yusei thought in his mind, closing them for one second.

_I know if I Normal Summon it, I can bring back my lost Quickdraw Synchron…_ A mental image appeared with Synchron Explorer grunting as Quickdraw Synchron flung itself out from the portal on the exploring machine's chest. _Then, I'll Tune them together…_ Five green circles clustered about as two orbs then aligned themselves, and the circles then aligned themselves around the orbs. _I'd Synchro Summon my **Junk Archer**… Then Junk Archer's effect, Dimension Shoot, would activate…_ The mechanical archer grunted and shot an arrow through Meteo-Rage Dragon, making it vanish into thin-air, leaving Johnny speechless and hopeless. _Then, Junk Archer can attack directly…_ Yusei called out the battle command, and the Junk Archer responded in correspondence to his controller's wishes…

_Doing that would surely bring me victory…_ Yusei looked at Johnny, noticing that he was having a fun time, despite what just happened to him. The Duel was more important to Johnny, from what Yusei was seeing in his opponent's eyes. _The world of speed will always continue, and with this Duel, Johnny and I have learned a lot about one another…_ He smiled, and simply rested his hand down. "I had a bit of a bad draw, it seems. So I end my turn."

_Turn 6_

Yusei: 200

Johnny: 400

"…So… I won?" Johnny drew his new card, not even bothering to pay any mind to the card he drew. He was simply amazed! This turn was his victory against Yusei, something he never thought could ever happen in even a million years! "Battle! Meteo-Rage Dragon, direct attack! Finish it off! _Meteor Blaze_!" he commanded dramatically as the dragon launched a beam of flames at Yusei. The flames engulfed him, and swallowed the very remainder of his Life Points, thus ending the Duel.

Johnny: 400

Yusei: 0

"Wooo! Congrats, Johnny! You get to keep Meteo-Rage Dragon!" Crow laughed as he waltzed over to Johnny, curiously looking at Meteo-Rage Dragon's details. "Gotta hand it to ya, this card's really epic! I can't wait to see ya use this guy to its _fullest_ potential! When you do, challenge Crow-sama to give it a better test run!" he boasted with a sneer.

"Hmph, that's nothing compared to the power in my Power Deck. I dare you to try beating my absolute power!" Jack grunted with his Duel Disk ready and a grin on his face.

Yusei couldn't help but to shake his head, and smile at how his friends were already getting along with Johnny. _Despite that their birthmarks are gone… they still look onwards to hope, and form bonds with the newest Signer… Our bonds will continue to grow stronger. We'll find the other Signers, and try to protect this world!

* * *

_

"Yusei…" Akiza clenched her fists tightly as an aura of her psychic powers appeared around her body. Her hair began to stiffen as her stabilizer shattered into a million pieces of scrap metal. "What… is this hollow feeling in me…?" she whispered as she placed a hand over her heart. "This feeling… it's so familiar, but I can't remember what it is… Emptiness?" she whispered again as her psychic power began to become apparent, flinging several debris out of her way as she walked deeper into the site of Arcadia Movement's ruin.

"Why… do I feel this way…?" she whispered once more as a tear dropped from her cheek, onto her hand. She looked at it without feeling, and her eyes hardened. _Yusei… to fill this hollow space in me… I must not only defeat you in a Duel…_ she clenched her fists once again, and her psychic powers annihilated another mass of debris instantly. _But I must…_ she swung her hand at another pile of debris, and her psychic powers immediately destroyed it without a word of command. As the dust cleared away, a single black feather glided at Akiza slowly, yet carefully.

_A… feather…?_ Akiza reached out to it. She knew it was in her hand, but it didn't feel like it was there at the same time. She stared at the black feather, studying its soft-looking texture, and the blackness of it that gave off a luscious glow against the light of her psychic aura.

_These emotions that you're transmitting… they feel so… lovely_. Akiza stiffened at the sound of that voice. She remembered it from somewhere, but she didn't know why. The feeling that then surged through her body also felt familiar, but she did not fight back. Her body accepted it as nothing more than another being that felt the same way she did. _You were a Signer, weren't you…? That pathetic power the Crimson Dragon marked you with has left traces of itself within you…_

"Who are you?" Akiza demanded, looking around for the origin of the voice.

_I am simply another being who feels just like you. I feel used, but hey, I guess that's how we sadomasochists feel._ The voice echoed into Akiza's mind, it too feeling like it synced well with her own thoughts.

"I am no longer tha—"

_Yes you are, otherwise, that Yusei guy you pushed away wouldn't have taken you along with him for the ride._

Akiza froze, her eyes wide in surprise. "He… what…?" she whispered.

_Those words of 'bonds' that Yusei was speaking of to you all that time back then? Oh yes, those were all lies, definitely lies. Those were all fabricated to give you a false sense of security, when in reality, he wanted you to suffer, and enjoyed your suffering in the shadows._ Akiza fell silent, unable to say anything back. All she could do was sit back as the voice continued to just speak to her fragile mind. _Akiza, I can give you the power to inflict even more pain upon him than ever before… Your psychic powers are frightening, but they are nothing compared to the power granted by a __**god**__._

_A… god…?_ Akiza looked at the feather in her hand, watching it swirl with an aura of darkness.

_Yes, a god. We were granted with the ability to change the future that your ex-comrades created… As our God had said once upon a time; "All possibilities must be made equal…"_

_All possibilities… must be… made… equal…_ Akiza's eyes became empty as the darkness danced around her, and a shadow image appeared before her.

_Akiza… let me into the void in your heart, and you'll be granted unlimited power…_

_Unlimited… power… to destroy… Yusei…_

_Yes! Follow your inner desire to destroy Yusei! You love him, don't you?_

_Y-yes…_

_Then let your desires take you! Show Yusei how much you love him by annihilating him! Wipe him out, as well as any other Signer that gets in your way!_ The voice began to laugh malevolently as the shadowy image's wings unfolded, and enclosed around Akiza. _You shall be reborn… into a being of unlimited power!

* * *

_

Author's Note: Today's chapter is relatively shorter because I _really_ felt like this would be a perfect way to end a chapter. :P

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is Directed by Katsumi Ono, made in the studio of Studio Gallop, belonging with all rights going to TV Tokyo. Thank you TV Tokyo for broadcasting this show, and thank the author Satou Masashi for making this show. This is nothing more than another Fan Fiction made by this author. Please support the official show if you are a fan. Please support the official release, as aforementioned.


	7. Natural

"This is just great…" a nurse sighed as she looked at her sleeping patient. She brushed her long brunette hair away from her face, and looked at her green nails. _They're telling me to watch him, but he didn't even do anything all day!_ She looked at her patient once more, and then smiled. _Things won't be any better if I sit around to complain! I gotta help the doctors however I can, because Mother Nature wouldn't let other living beings die like this!_

"Nurse Rena! We need your assistance in Room 215, STAT!" a voice called from the PA system. All she did was nod her head, look at her patient again, and whisper "Be back soon!"

"Alright, what's the situation, Dr. Roberto?" she arrived into Room 215.

"This here patient requested a Duel with one of the staff…" the doctor pointed at a teenager who looked ready to be an adult. "He's been sick for about three weeks now, and he wants to Duel with someone at the hospital. Strangely, he requ—"

"There ya are, Arianna!" the teenager grinned and brushed some black hair away from his face. "Sheesh, I wanted to get in a Duel with ya, but this here cold kept me down" he chuckled.

"Er… Duel…?" Arianna raised an eyebrow with a sweat drop. "I… don't know what a Duel… is…" she said embarrassedly, biting her bottom lip.

"Hehe, that's why you're buds with me, I'll teach ya!" he offered.

"No, Jared, I just… I don't know how to Duel… because I'd rather stay in work…" she said quietly, looking away.

"Now, now, Ms. Rena, the patient is always right" the doctor wagged his finger in disapproval of her behavior. "If he wants a Duel with you, and is offering to teach you, then you should do it. Heck, you've been working like a dog all day for an intern, so you can just have the day off for this!" Doctor Roberto smiled at her.

"U-um… can I not? I mean… I…" Arianna was now flustered, and didn't know what to say. "F…fine…" she sighed, knowing well not to argue with the one that let her be an intern in the first place.

"Great! Meet with me outside!" Jared sneered before handing her a small box. "This here's an extra deck of mine, go on and take it, my treat!" he walked away before she could respond to what he said.

"Now, I'll just meet with another patient on this floor, be sure to keep him happy! You know well that his health depends on it" Doctor Roberto mentioned gravely with a frown.

"U-u-u-uh, yes!" Arianna responded, now scared of the doctor's facial expression. She walked out, taking the elevator down with Jared. _These guys… why do they want me to Duel so much? I mean… I stopped that nonsense such a long time ago…_ She looked at the deck that she was given, and extracted a single card. _**Naturia Cosmobeet**__… A monster that's Special Summoned when the opponent Normal Summons or Sets… what the heck's a Normal Summon!_ She sighed once more, and hopelessly placed the card back into the deck.

"Don't worry, you're gonna get the hang of this game!" Jared grinned. There was always something comfortable about that grin of his that Arianna didn't understand.

"Fine…" she sighed once again, looking at the deck of cards that was in that little box.

"Catch!" Jared took something from his bag and threw it at her!

"Whoa, what the?" Arianna caught it instinctively, noticing that it was a Duel Disk, but she paid more attention to the blade-like surface. "Y-y-you could've almost killed me! What the hell!" she panicked for only a moment.

"Hey, those things don't cut people… if they did, people wouldn't challenge each other to Duels… they'd slice each other's heads off…" Jared sweat dropped.

"…" Arianna stayed horribly silent. Her eyes softened as her memories were sweeping her off the ground, and taking her back, back to a distant memory. However, the chuckles of Jared brought her back to today before an image could surface. _Why do guys always wanna Duel now… I can't believe that we live in a world revolving around a game of cards…_ She sighed again.

"We're here!" Jared ran out of the elevator, not before grabbing Arianna's hand and dragging her along with him!

"What am I, a frickin' luggage!" she whined as she was dragged outside. He distanced himself from her, and raised his Duel Disk. "Now, just raise your Duel Disk, and it'll activate in response to mine… then we can get this Duel started!"

"Er… but…" she stared at the contraption in her hands, trying to figure out how to put it on. "Er… I think I'm supposed to put this here?" she slid her arm into the Duel Disk, and it fit just fine. "And uh…" she took the deck out of the box, and put it into the Duel Disk as well. "There we go!" she raised her arm, and it finally invoked, along with Jared's. Both Decks were automatically shuffled, and he drew his first five cards.

"Duel!" he yelled ecstatically, while Arianna just sweat dropped.

Arianna: 4000

Jared: 4000

_Turn 1_

"Alrighty, I'll take the first shot so you can learn how this works! Draw!" Jared extracted his sixth card with glee. "Now, I'll start off with my **Eccentric Boy**!" he shouted as the small, blond-haired boy appeared on the field, crossing his arms like the brute he wasn't.

Eccentric Boy: 800 Attack / 200 Defense

"Now, I'll use his effect! I can use Synchro Material in my hand, instead of the Field, so I can Synchro Summon something from my Extra Deck!" he grinned as he revealed a Monster in his hand. "I tune him along with my **Puppet Plant** in order to bring up my Gaia Knight the Earth! _Majestic knight, appear now before your enemy! Smite them with your lance!_Synchro Summon! Charge, **Gaia Knight the Force of the Earth**!" he shouted as a large, almost mechanical-armored knight appeared on his trusty steed, the two of them readying for battle.

Gaia Knight: 2600 Attack / 800 Defense

"Now, normally, such a powerful effect comes with a price, such as negating the effect of a Monster that was brought out by this…" he pointed at his Gaia Knight. "Now, because he _has_ no effect, that means this was done with no real strings attached…" he explained.

Arianna tilted her head, unable to process a single thing that came out of Jared's mouth. "Uh… you know I dunno what you're talking about… right…?" she sweat dropped.

Jared smacked his forehead, and sighed. "This'll be a while then…" he muttered and pointed at her. " "Alrighty… lemme see how I can explain this…" he rubbed his chin, and then pointed at his creature. "You see what this is, right?"

"Um… a Monster…?" she sweat dropped, noticing that the knight was staring at her intently.

"Yes, but it's not just any monster! It's a Synchro Monster… The game's newest mechanics of Summoning now use 'Synchro Summons' to make the game enhanced, and faster" Jared explained like a university doctor. "Now, to explain Synchro Summoning… you take a "Tuner" Monster on your Field, and then a Monster that doesn't have "Tuner" in it's Type name, understand yet…?"

"Um…" Arianna revealed an orange card, pointing at the card's text. "You mean this one, written under the image…?" she sweat dropped. _God I feel stupid. This is why I never played this thing in the first place…_

Jared face-palmed himself. "You're not supposed to actually **show** me your hand… you're supposed to not show it to me for the whole Duel, that way I won't know what you're doing…"

"Hey! It's not like I knew that!" Arianna puffed her cheeks in complaint. _Someone kill me now. Please, the medical world doesn't need something like this!_

"This isn't rocket science, Arianna. To be honest, the game is a little, if not harder, like chess, but in the form of cards, so it shouldn't be too difficult to play…" Jared sighed, taking a small manual out of his pouch. "Alrighty, kiddo…" his Duel Disk completely shut down, and his Gaia Knight vanished as well.

"NOW you know that I dunno how to play this frickin' game?" she whined with arms flailing.

"No… you'll learn, just not from me" Jared sighed before throwing the manual at her. The manual literally smacked her in the head!

"Argh, you frickin' idiot!" she yelled as she picked up the manual, and stared at it. "**Card Games for Dummies**" was the written title. She twitched at it, and then looked at Jared with a frown.

"Hey, I'm trying to prep ya for a good time. Seriously, you need some fun in your life, and it ain't just gonna run up to you in the face to say "Howdy Doo!"" Jared frowned and crossed his arms.

"Well, the world doesn't revolve around a frickin' card game, you know that, right…?" Arianna sighed, turning to the first page.

"Actually, you'd be surprised" Jared smiled before raising his hand. "I still want that Duel, but at least know how to play… I wanna get out of this hospital with a bang!" he grinned that reassuring grin once more that made her realize that this really was his wish.

"As a nurse, I'll do this… but I refuse to do this with my own soul, so only expect me to do this half-heartedly!" Arianna crossed her arms. She couldn't admit to how curious she was to this game anyway, due to its growing popularity.

"Eh, that'll be better than nothing… so you better give me a good game tomorrow, or else I'll still be bugging you for it!" Jared chuckled before walking back to the hospital. He turned back, and grinned at her, "Maybe I'll give you something cool for this!"

"Uh… if it's a card, I'll make sure you suffer a very bad check-up the next time you're here" Arianna frowned with a sweat drop.

"Then I may wanna keep a lookout for if you're giving me that needle" Jared waved without looking back, grinning to himself.

* * *

"That was so long ago…" Arianna mused to herself, looking at a photo of her and Jared in her first serious Duel.

"So… did'ja win?" a little girl asked, sitting on the hospital bed with a smile on her face. She was fascinated with the story, and couldn't help but to know how it ended!

"Well, if you take your medication, maybe I'll tell you" Arianna teased, brushing some of her brunette hair away from her face.

"Fine, fine, gimme some, and tell me while I'm taking it!" the little girl heeded Arianna's command. She immediately began to drink a purple ooze that was in her little cup.

"I… won that Duel" Arianna answered, smiling at the little girl.

"Really? Onee-chan Arianna won!" the little girl's eyes sprang open in surprise. "Tell me, how'd you win?"

"Well… It took about a month for me to really just understand the basics and all of that..." Arianna drifted back to the day when she finally knew how to Duel, and started the challenge with Jared.

* * *

"Alrighty, you better know I ain't going easy on you, now that you know the rules!" Jared grinned, drawing his starting hand of five.

"Don't worry about me, you better worry about yourself! I'll make you go back to the academy with my skills!" Arianna responded with a confident smile on her face, and drew her opening hand of five cards as well.

_Turn 1_

Arianna: 4000

Jared: 4000

"I'll take the first move, like last time, draw!" Jared looked at his hand, and couldn't help but to grin. "I play my Double Summon spell card! With this, I Normal Summon 2 times for the remainder of this turn!" he explained as his field turned a slight green.

"Fine then" Arianna examined her hand, identifying two familiar cards in her hand. _This'll work… he's gonna Normal Summon twice, but wait'll he sees what I've got for him!_

"Now, I'll Normal Summon **two** of my favorite little buggers; **Eccentric Boy**!" Jared commanded as two little blond-haired boys took the field, grunting.

Eccentric Boy: 800 Attack / 200 Defense

"N—"

"Oh no you don't! You Normal Summoned twice, which means… I get to do something fun here!" she revealed two orange cards in her hand again.

"Ugh, didn't you learn not to show your cards?" Jared face-palmed himself.

"Nope! Because when you Normal Summon, these little guys Special Summon themselves onto the Field!" she slammed the cards onto her Duel Disk, revealing two little spheres of black with little eyes and flowers raining around them.

Naturia Cosmobeet: 1000 Attack / 700 Defense

"Hmph, looks like you got lucky with my move… however… one Eccentric Boy's effect activates! I now send him and a material from my hand to the graveyard to Synchro Summon! So… I'll Tune him with my Puppet Plant in my hand!" Jared explained as three red, green, and yellow rings encircled around three orbs of light. A scarf of red static flowed around them, engulfing them as a portal ripped open. "_Majestic knight, appear now before your enemy! Smite them with your lance!_Synchro Summon! Charge, **Gaia Knight the Force of the Earth**!" he commanded as the large, mechanical knight shot out of its prison, and roared as it took the field now.

Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth: 2600 Attack / 800 Defense

"Just like last time…" Arianna noted, looking at the newly played knight on the Field.

"It isn't like last time… 'cause I've got another play to make, one that's gonna shake the earth and heavens!" Jared grinned as he revealed a monster in his hand. "Now, I use my Eccentric Boy's effect… by Tuning him with my Scrap Chimera in my hand…" he explained as three rings encircled another set of four lights. Red static emitted like a snake around it. "_The earth trembles as you escape your hellish prison! Rise from the ground, and meet the majestic knights that have slain you once before!_ Synchro Summon! Be reborn, **Scrap Demons**!" the large metallic demon escaped from the light, roaring to life as steam erupted from many segments of its body.

"Th-that's a big monster…" Arianna commented with a sweat drop. "Don't tell me…"

"Yeap! It don't got an effect either!" Jared raised the peace sign and stuck his tongue out. So far, his strategy was working, so it was no wonder he seemed to be confident. "It doesn't matter what kind of defenses you bring up, I'll still bring your Life down!"

"… Are you finished yet? I'd really like to get on with my own turn, Jared…" Arianna sighed with a sweat drop at the back of her head.

"Psh, doesn't matter if I finish or not… Spell Card, activate! **Fuse-Draw**!" he revealed a Spell card that showed an image of cards coming out of a vortex.

"Fuse…Draw…?" Arianna raised an eyebrow.

"Now, I remove Fusion Material to Special Summon a Fusion Monster!" Jared commanded as a vortex appeared between his two monsters, and they vanished into it. "_Mighty hero and mighty demon of the earth. Combine your powers into the legendary rider!_ Fusion Summon!" he commanded as the vortex emitted with a roar, and the sounds of mighty galloping could be heard. "Come from the deepest parts of heaven! Reveal yourself, **Gaia Drake, Knight of Earth and Sky**!" he commanded as the knight who bore two large lances in his hands and his winged steed rode out of the dark vortex.

"W-what the?" Arianna said in fear.

Gaia Drake, Knight of Land and Sky: 3500 Attack / 2800 Defense.

"3-3800 Attack? What kind of ridiculous monster is this, Jared?" she backed away from it, and even her two Naturia Cosmobeet screeched in fear of the large knight, and his demonic steed.

"Now, for Fuse-Draw's effect. When a Fusion Monster is successfully Summoned, it's effects are negated for my next two Standby Phases" he explained, and then a red-static emerged around the knight, but it didn't react to it. "Next up, I get to draw cards equal to it's attack x 700. So, his attack is 3500, which means I get to draw a refreshing 5 new cards!" he drew the new cards, and then smirked at them. "I'll set them all, and end my turn!" he set the five cards, and they all had a sense of mystery to them.

"Such a card…" Arianna muttered, and then looked at her Deck. "I'll win this Duel! My turn!" she drew her new card, and observed it, as well as the Field. _None of my own monsters are close to that thing! Jesus, Jared always talks about these moves in his dreams… I'm so screwed…_ She tried to relax, but even then, she knew that that monster could overpower her Cosmobeets in no time flat.

_Turn 2_

Arianna: 4000

Jared: 4000

"Trap Activate; **Return from the Different Dimension**! Now, by halving my Life Points, I get to Special Summon as many of my Removed From Play monsters as possible!" Jared clenched his fist dramatically.

Jared: 2000

"Come back, **Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth** and **Scrap Demons**!" he commanded as the demon and the knight from the dark vortex appeared, all of them roaring.

"I activate the effect of the **Naturia Rock** in my hand! Sending the top card of my Deck to the graveyard… I can Special Summon it!" Arianna said as the stone formed on the field, roaring as if it were violent.

"Heh… Trap Activate! **Torrential Tribute**! Chain another Trap, **Chivalrous Bravery**! Now, during this turn, all of my Monsters are unaffected by Trap Cards!" Jared grinned. "A knight must always know how to escape traps to rescue a young lady, so watch!" he raised his hand as a mighty tidal wave erupted from behind him. The tidal wave swallowed all the monsters on the field, however the Gaia Drake, Scrap Demons, and Gaia Knight were all unaffected. Even the knights' steeds snorted at what just happened, watching the enemy monsters drown in heavy loads of water.

"U-ugh…" Arianna muttered, checking the remaining three cards in her hand. "I'll Summon my **Naturia Pumpkin**!" she commanded as the large pumpkin tumbled onto the field, giggling to itself like a drunk.

Naturia Pumpkin: 1400 Attack / 800 Defense.

"The… heck…?" Jared asked with a sweat drop. _Sheesh, I think giving her that Nature Deck was the most horrible idea I've ever had…_

"Naturia Pumpkin's effect activates! According to this card…" Arianna took a brief look at the card's text, muttering the words to herself as she read it. "Ah! When this card is Normal Summon, and you control a Monster, I can Special Summon a "Naturia" in my hand!" she revealed a card in her hand. "Come on out, **Naturia Mosquito**!" she commanded as the stag beetle formed on the field, squeaking.

Naturia Mosquito: 200 Attack / 300

"… _Oy gevalt_" Jared face-palmed himself. _This… is just… oy gevalt…_

"Now, I activate the effect of the last card in my hand! Go, **Naturia Hydrangea**!" Arianna's giant plant summoned itself, looking completely suspicious as it roared.

"The hell's that thing? You already Normal Summoned… right?" Jared argued, cocking an eyebrow. "Did you forget to read the rulebook? No Level 5's or Higher can be summoned without offering a Sacrifice…"

"Naturia Hydrangea's effect activates when a "Naturia" uses their effect. The effect states that he's Special Summoned when that happens" Arianna grinned, her rebuttal shutting the argument down. "And now, BATTLE! My Naturia Pumpkin will attack your Gaia Drake! Go!" she commanded as the pumpkin made a mad dash towards Arianna, almost stumbling before the knight merely tapped it with his lance.

"What the…?" Jared raised an eyebrow before his eyes widened in realization. "Instant Magic activate! **Legend Striker**! This can only be activated while Gaia Drake is on the Field… I negate the effect of a monster on the opponent's Field!" he pointed his finger at Naturia Mosquito immediately. "Now that I remember what that does… your effort just became futile!"

"Thanks, I was waiting for that to happen!" Arianna swiftly raised her arm as an orange card appeared on the holographic field. "Now, the effect of my grave-bound **Naturia Blossom** activates!"

"How the…? When was that thing in the graveyard?" Jared raised an eyebrow.

"It was when Naturia Rock was Summoned, or did you forget about that?" Arianna grinned as Jared's memory came to being when she lost the top card of her deck.

"Hmph, nice combo… you're still gonna lose, kid, doesn't matter one way or the other" Jared crossed his arms.

"Now… when the opponent activates a Spell Card during my Battle Phase, I can Special Summon a Naturia in my Deck by removing her from play! Come, **Naturia Fruitfly**!" she commanded as the blossom then turned into a fly made from fruits. It's nasty stench began to cover the Field immediately, and Jared's knights all groaned at the smell of the fly. "Yes! Ha, Jared, who's the loser now?" she grinned.

Naturia Fruitfly: 800 Attack / 1500 Defense

"Feh, what's the point in that thing being summoned in the first place?" Jared muttered and then looked at his Gaia Drake, who roared as well as his steed! Even Gaia Knight groaned and coughed, "What the… what's going on with my knights…?"

"Naturia Fruitfly's effect! While on the Field, all of your monsters lose 300 Attack and Defense for each Naturia on the Field… Your monsters lose 1200 Attack and Defense!

Gaia Drake, Knight of Earth and Sky: 2300 Attack / 1600 Defense

Gaia Knight, Force of the Earth: 1400 Attack / 0 Defense

"You're still takin' damage anyway, remember? Your little Pumpkin attacked!" the pumpkin was then stabbed completely by the Gaia Drake, while the steed roared in pride.

Arianna: 3100

"Trap Activate, **Legendary Blast**! When you take battle damage by a "Gaia" Monster, you take damage equal to it's Level x 300!" Jared flipped his card face-up, and the steed neighed mightily as a charge of flames shot forth from its mouth!

"Ahhh!" Arianna screamed as the fire attacked her life points maliciously.

Arianna: 100

"U-ugh…" Arianna witnessed her new Life Point parameters and then clenched her teeth. _Sheesh, Jared doesn't know how to play nice…_

"Heh, with that, you're already below any form of safety" Jared grinned as the fumes weakened a little bit.

Gaia Drake, Knight of Earth and Sky: 2600 Attack / 1900 Defense

Gaia Knight, the Force of the Earth: 1700 Attack / 0 Defense

"Ugh…" Arianna had no cards left in her hand, so she conceded her turn automatically.

"Now, my Gaia Knight has to go bye bye. Return's effect activates at the End Phase, making his visit shorter than intended… I've got one turn left before my Gaia's able to fight your monsters!" Jared drew his new card, and then grinned.

_Turn 3_

Arianna: 100

Jared: 2000

"I activate **Act of Righteousness**! Now, for every monster on your side of the Field, we get to draw a card. Think of this as… chivalry, per se" Jared shrugged and drew his three cards at the same time as Arianna.

"I end my turn" Jared raised an eyebrow. _Now, come on, I gave you the chance to fight back… let's see how you use it!_

"My turn!" Arianna swiped a new card from the top of her deck, praying on a miracle. "Damn…" she muttered before playing a card in her hand. "This'll be familiar… I play **Double Summon**! During this turn, I Normal Summon twice…!" she then slammed two monsters onto her Duel Disk, "I'll bring out my **Naturia Stinkbug** and **Naturia Beans**!"

Naturia Stinkbug: 200 Attack / 500 Defense

Naturia Beans: 100 Attack / 1200 Defense

"Now, you know the drill with my Fruitfly's effect! Down, down, down!" Arianna snapped her fingers as the knight groaned with a heavy sigh.

Gaia Drake, Knight of Earth and Sky: 2000 Attack / 1300 Defense

"Tch, don't forget, your Naturia Mosquito's effect is still negated, you can't do a thing with it" Jared added, crossing his arms. All in all, he _wanted_ to see Arianna pull a miracle move, if she could even try. _Firstly, she ain't got Life Points, so she can't use a card that'll cost her some points… secondly, she's using all weak monsters to make my Gaia Drake lose power with Fruitfly… that shit's the first one going down… Finally, she's only got 1 card left in her hand, nothing much can be turned around with just one card…_

"I end my turn" Arianna stated simply, crossing her arms.

"You… you're joking… right…?"

"Nope, now come on, bring it on!" Arianna demanded.

_Turn 4_

Jared: 2000

Arianna: 100

Jared sighed, and drew his new card. He pointed at her, "You've lost this Duel! Battle! Gaia Drake, attack Naturia Mosquito! _Legend Strike_!"

"Sorry, but Naturia Stinkbug's effect activates at this time!" the bug squealed as it then jumped in the way of the attack. The knight grunted and lunged his lance at it. The bug squealed again and exploded into a gas of stink, making the knight groan as he took several steps back. Even the steed snorted a few times, shaking its head.

Gaia Drake: 2300 Attack / 1600 Defense

"The… hell was that?" Jared looked at his knight. "Why'd you stop? Attack her already!" he demanded his monster.

"Naturia Stinkbug's effect, when you target a Naturia in battle, I send him to the graveyard to end the Battle Phase… Thanks, Naturia Stinkbug" Arianna smiled. "Nature protects itself as more threats come forth, that is undeniable. The inhabitants of nature protect their own members, and will always be ready to face a new threat…"

"Psh, your move now!"

_Turn 5_

"My turn!" Arianna swiped the new card off her deck, and then smiled at the card she drew. "This turn… you're going down! I'll now play my **Leodrake's Mane** Spell Card! I'll negate the effects of my Naturia Beans in order to make his attack increase!"

"Isn't that a little… counterproductive…?" Jared raised an eyebrow, noticing the sudden change in mind about what she was doing.

"This is a very awesome Spell Card, because not only does it negate my Naturia Beans' effect… but it also makes his attack go _up_!" Arianna grinned as the beans both roared in might and increased thirty-times its size!

Naturia Beans: 3000 Attack / 1200 Defense

"WHAT THE HECK!" Jared pointed at the Naturia Beans in disbelief. "Hell no! There can't be a card in _existence_ that does something like that!" he argued, but it was undeniably real.

"Face it, Jared, I've won this Duel! Battle! Naturia Beans, attack his Gaia Drake!" she commanded as the giant beans both stepped over, both of them crossed their arms and smirked as they then squashed the knight with a single step.

"M-my knight!" Jared yelled in surprise.

Jared: 1300

"Next, my Naturia Fruitfly will attack directly!" the little fly made from fruits buzzed as it then charged at Jared without regret.

"Ugh!"

Jared: 500

"And it's over! Direct attack, Naturia Hydrangea! Finish him off!" she commanded as the plant did not move, but it's roots shot out from the ground, wrapping around Jared as he was caught off-guard.

Jared: 0

"I-I lost this Duel…" Jared sighed as his Life Point parameter rapidly shrunk to the measly 0.

"Yep, looks like you owe me a present!" Arianna smiled, giggling as she shook Jared's hand. "Really, I've gotta thank you for such a good time… I never really knew a card game could be so fun!"

"Hmph, here's the present I got you" Jared opened a miniature little box, revealing a necklace made from a green metal with a leaf-shaped charm.

"Aw! That's so sweet!" Arianna looked at the present and immediately put it around her neck. "I'll never take this off, ever!" she laughed. She had to admit, she had fun with this game, even though she still believed that the world didn't revolve around a card game.

"Heh, see? I told you that this game has its up's, you just never bothered giving it a try" Jared teased, sticking his tongue out.

"Well…" Arianna looked away, embarrassed. "I… was actually a little curious about this game back then… ehehe…" she sweat dropped. She just realized that she gave him ammo by uttering that sentence…

"Really now? Hey, at least you finally gave it a try!" Jared raised the peace sign. "Welp, we had our Duel, so… I guess this is where we part" he shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Well, it's not like we won't ever cross paths, and Duel each other again" Arianna smiled once again, and waved him his goodbye as Jared was walking away.

"Well, I'll probably be back here when I get into an accident again… I'll make sure they send you in for fast-recovery" Jared joked, and the two laughed before he got into his car, and drove off to who-knows-where.

* * *

"And that's…" Arianna revealed her necklace, smiling at it, "how I got this necklace here…" She breathed in, and sighed, finally finished with the story.

"Wowww" the little girl looked at it with a shine in her eyes. "I've never seen something so pretty before…" she coughed a little, but still stared at it. "Maybe one day, we'll get to Duel so I can see the skill you have!" she little girl smiled irresistibly.

"Aw, when you do challenge me to a Duel, I'll do my best not to lose to you!" Arianna smiled and kissed the forehead of the little girl. "Well, it's late at night, so let's start getting some sleep, alrighty?" she said.

"Aww! But I don't wanna sleep!" the little girl puffed her cheeks in argument.

"Come on, don't you wanna grow up big and strong like your Arianna nee-chan?" she tried convincing her with a smile.

"… But I don't wanna!" the girl complained again before she wrapped herself under her blanket.

"Tomorrow morning, you'll get a nice breakfast if you sleep" Arianna tried again, and the little girl cheered a little before closing her eyes. "Goodnight… and sweet dreams, little one. May mother nature keep you safe, and warm at night" she whispered before turning the lights off. Darkness filled the room, leaving only the moonlight to bathe the room.

* * *

Author's Note: It's been almost a week... I think. o.O

Disclaimer: This is not owned by me, as written by Raptor Johnny ((AKA: John B. in real life)). This show is written/owned by Katsumi Ono, I think. The show is made in Studio Gallop. If you too are a fan, please support the official release. Once again, the show is not owned by me, but the writing you have currently seen is owned by me, and me alone... Please support the official Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Show.


	8. Chilling Flames of Revenge! Rose!

"So, where we going next?" Johnny asked, looking at Yusei, Crow, and Jack, who were looking at each other with questioning looks.

"We're… not sure yet…" Crow face-palmed himself. "Great, we already screwed up, now we dunno where to go…"

"We'll go where the wind takes us" Yusei answered, crossing his arms with his eyes closed. "Anyway, it's getting late. Johnny, tomorrow, you're riding with Crow"

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Crow argued jokingly.

"Naw, you don't get a say 'cause you're just you" Johnny laughed alongside with Yusei and Crow. Jack didn't laugh, he couldn't help himself honestly. He was thinking a little bit about Red Demons Dragon, thinking back to his first time summoning it in Neo Domino City.

_Red Demons Dragon…_ Jack suddenly shook his head, and his eyes turned from a weakened violet to a strong shade of purple. _No. I mustn't fall, Red Demons' creation-shaking soul remains within me, and always will… so long as I live._ Jack looked at Johnny and Crow, seeing them play-fighting and then he sweat dropped with a twitch. "Since when were we allowed to act like idiots?"

"Since you were lookin' the other way" Johnny answered with a grin, both Crow and Johnny dying of laughter once again. Jack sighed and shook his head, smiling. No matter what, he'd be sucked into the whole 'friendship' thing, even if he were to cut all of his bonds like all those years ago. "Humph, whatever, idiots..." he chuckled lightly to himself, as if it were more of a personal joke than something for the group to hear as a whole.

* * *

Walking the streets, she was alone, as usual. She passed the people, the people that didn't see her, or know her, but judged her the instant their eyes laid on her. She wore a black jacket that covered her entire upper body, as well as some of her lower body. She also wore a pair of jeans with several tears all over it, as well as black finger-less gloves with tears too at the palms. She also wore black boots. Everything about this girl was one thing; dark.

She passed by those who were poor, and forced to live on the streets, but didn't care for them. _Their pain is nothing like mine… they wouldn't know of it, even if they tried being sympathetic…_ She stopped, brushing some dark crimson hair away from her face as a car drove by in front of her. She then decided to walk forward, but then her shoulder bumped into a man.

"Well, excuse me, you dumb girl!" the man roared at her, but she continued to walk without regret. "Now hold on there!" he walked behind her, as a stalker would.

"And your problem is?" she turned to look at him, staring at him with fierce navy blue eyes that pierced deep, her stare delved deep into his soul! "Hmph, that's what I thought…" she then walked forward again, leaving the man standing there in a daze. He shook his head, and growled, walking behind her again.

"The hell's your problem, girl? Got dumped by your boyfriend?" the man said teasingly to her as he then grabbed her by her shoulders. "You need a real man to comfort that body of yours, and I'm enough man to do it!"

"Let me go" she flatly said, turning her head to reveal her fierce blue eyes. "You'll regret laying a hand on me…" she said before elbowing the man in the gut, which made him grunt and fall back a little. "Couldn't concentrate on anything more than your penis, could you?" she spat before kicking the man in the gut.

"S-stupid girl… I'm just offering you a way outta your pain!" the man argued, trying to get up.

"Oh? Then how about I propose a little… game? I win, you walk away like the dog you are" she said, crossing her arms.

"Che, fine then, but what do I get if I win?" the man got up, brushing himself off with an annoyed "Tch".

"We'll get there when that happens. The key word in your sentence was _if_" she spoke back, and her black Duel Disk activated along-side the man's Duel Disk. "Duel!" both of them declared.

_Turn 1_

"Hmph, pathetic, man… I'll start off by summoning my Tuner Monster **Fabled Kushano**" the adolescent girl muttered as she revealed a single card between her slender fingers. She brushed her dark crimson hair away from her face as the card glowed on her Duel Disk, and revealed a demon with a book in his hand, who smiled malevolently and pushed his glasses more towards his eyes.

"Pft, what's pathetic is that monster! I mean seriously, what the hell is that supposed to be, a clown!" her male opponent scoffed dismissively.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense

"You'll be sorry…" the girl couldn't help but to laugh a little. "Now… let us continue the dance of death… I'll set a card, and end my turn" she said, unable to maintain a straight face. She knew victory was in her hands, and it was guaranteed to be served to her on a golden platter.

_Turn 2_

"I dunno about you and your love for death, but now it's my turn! Draw!" the male drew his card, and smirked. "I'll summon my **Gene-Warped War Wolf**!" he roared with intensity as a wolf-looking creature appeared on the holographic field, howling mightily.

Gene-Warped War Wolf: 2000 Attack / 100 Defense

"Go on" the girl said, crossing her arms.

"First… tell me your name before I proceed..." the man grinned. He believed victory was in his hands, a bold overconfidence just for having a strong monster on his field.

"My name… is Rose" she answered briefly, closing her eyes as she waited for her opponent's move to end.

"The name's Rick, but soon, you'll be calling me master! Warwolf, attack! _Savagery Slash_!" the man commanded his creature, but then Rose opened her eyes, and looked at the charging creature briefly.

"Stupid move. Trap activate: **Hate Buster**!" she commanded fiercely as the purple reversed card flipped face-up. Fabled Kushano suddenly grunted and charged in at the wolf, head-on! The two then exploded on contact, and then Rick screamed in pure pain.

Rick: 2000

"When you attack a Fiend-type Monster, I get to destroy your monster, as well as my own, and then you take damage equal to your monster's attack power" she explained, crossing her arms. "The moment you summoned that monster for the purpose of annihilating my Fabled Kushano was the moment that you wrought your own doom upon yourself" she explained, closing her eyes once again. _My key strategy is now set. It's over for him now._

"Tch, cheap move! I'll set these five cards, and end my turn!"

_Turn 3_

"My tu—" before she could swipe her new card, Rick activated his face-down card.

"I'll activate **Cursed Tuning**! Now, because you've got a Tuner Monster in your graveyard, this can be activated! Now you'll be taking 200 Damage for each Monster you Special Summon, even if that Tuner is no longer in the graveyard… and you know what? I activate two more of the same card!" he laughed manically as there were three face-up **Cursed Tuning** cards.

"…Hmph, like that'll stop me" Rose swiped her new card from the top of her deck, and took a read at what it was. "I'll activate the Spell called **Cold Wave**! With this, neither of us can play Spells/Traps, set them, or even activate them until my next turn" she smirked at the reaction on Rick's face, watching his two face-downs freeze out of nowhere.

"Now, I'll be using the effect of my **Fabled Kushano** in the graveyard… I discard one card in my hand in order to add him to my hand… However, it can't just be _any_ card, it has to be a "Fabled" card…" Rose then revealed a card in her hand. "I'll discard my **The Fabled Cerburrel** in order to bring Fabled Kushano… _Demon Roar Revival_!" she commanded the name of her monster's effect as she swapped her The Fabled Cerburrel with her Fabled Kushano.

The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 400 Defense

"Wait… Cerburrel…? I'm damn sure that Aeten Champ named Gerardo uses that card, so why in the hell do you have it?" Rick asked with his eyes wide open.

"Because… it belongs to _me_" Rose spat before her discard pile shone brightly. "Now, the effect of The Fabled Cerburrel activates… The very moment he's discarded, he's Special Summoned onto the Field!" Roars echoed as a circle of flames appeared on her field, revealing a miniature puppy with three heads.

"Tch… that thing's the ultimate Tuner… using him to avoid a cost… however… Now you take 600 Points of damage! How'd'ya like them apples?" Rick laughed at her as three purple rings circled around her, and her Life parameters decreased.

Rose: 3300

"Tch, how stupid…" she muttered as she then pointed at Rick. "No matter what, the Duel is over for you…" she then revealed another card in her hand. "I use **Fabled Grimro**. Her effect only activates while there's a face-up Fabled monster on the Field…" she explained as she then dumped it into the graveyard. "Now, I get to search for a "Fabled" Monster in my Deck… come, **Fabled Krus**!" she barked in command as a card ejected itself from the deck, and shot into her hand.

"Doesn't matter, girl, no matter how many times you Special Summon, you'll get blasted into oblivion!"

"Oh really?" Rose cocked an eyebrow and revealed a single card in her hand. "I'll Normal Summon my **Fabled Raven** then"

"Oh well, I can't do shit against it 'cause it's been Normal Summoned" Rick shrugged, smirking at the malevolent rings that continually circled around her.

"Next, I'll do something that'll _really_ surprise you…" Fabled Raven began to giggle a little bit as it's claws began to glow a malevolent red. "Now… I discard cards in my hand, thanks to his effect… I'll ditch my **Fabled Krus**, **Fabled Lurrie**, **Fabled Kushano**, and **The Fabled Ganashia** for his effect…" She couldn't help but to laugh, especially when her opponent didn't know what was about to hit him.

"Hmph, so you ditched your entire hand for no reason. Nice job, dumb ass" the man almost laughed, but then suddenly, her graveyard shone brightly, releasing three monsters, all of which were demons as well. First, Lurrie, he appeared to be a miniature demon that was grinning the whole time. Then, Fabled Kushano came out from his graveyard, laughing as he pushed his glasses up some more and then looking at his book again. Finally, The Fabled Ganashia, a malevolent-looking elephant that trumpeted loudly.

"Doesn't matter what you do, you're gonna lose! Since you Special Summoned three times, you take a total of 1800 Damage! Eat this!" he laughed hard as the three purple rings all shocked her once again, but she didn't care too much.

Rose: 1500

"Oh well, looks like your little lead's all gone, little lady!"

"Is that so?" Rose pointed at her army of Fabled Monsters. "Realize that this turn is the end for you…" she said in a cold tone while her Ganashia converted into three orbs of light surrounded by the two rings the came from The Fabled Cerburrel. "I tune my Level 3 The Fabled Ganashia to my Level 2 The Fabled Cerburrel! _Born from the depths of hell, rise again, oh greedy one!_ Synchro Summon! Revive, **Fabled Ragin**!" she commanded as a golden demon stepped forward, roaring as it's muscles flexed. It seems almost as if it had been years since it last saw what the world looked like, so it curiously took a look around.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1500 Defense

Rose: 900

"Welcome back, my loyal servant…" Rose smirked, crossing her arms in the same manner as her creature.

"W-what? What in the hell… is that…!" Rick backed away as he lost his confidence in his victory. He realized his situation, and was scared to acknowledge it.

"You're done for…" Rose pointed at her Fabled Ragin. "I use his effect right now! When he's Synchro Summoned, I draw until there's two cards in my hand!" she immediately swiped the two cards from her deck. "And now…" the golden demon burst into five stars of light while Fabled Kushano chuckled and burst into three green rings. _Risen from the depths of the earth, show the ignorant the power of your creation-shaking soul!_ Synchro Summon!" she commanded as the light exploded, and created a portal on the ground. "Escape, **Hellfire Dragon**!" the portal burst into black flames as a creature rose from the ground, roaring as loud as it could. The darkness of the alleyway didn't allow it to be totally visible, but rotting wings could be seen against the moonlight. Suddenly, a crimson marking glowed on her arm, forming a strange-looking pentagon-like shape. "My symbol of hatred, the thing that brought me the power I needed to bring nothing but chaos and destruction to those that I now kill…" Rose muttered under breath, clenching her fists tightly. The dragon that was hidden by shadows suddenly roared loudly, making Rick tremble like a leaf.

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense

Rose: 300

"What… creature… is this…?" Rick backed away, trying to surrender the Duel as fast as he could. He now regretted what he did to her, but there was no turning back at this point.

"This is the creature of my hatred… the creature of my burning revenge… Finish it! Direct attack, _Searing Revenge_!" Rose barked in command, unleashing her creature on Rick, who screamed loudly as his Life Point parameter immediately turned into a 0.

"Be swallowed by my flames of fury…" she spat as the flames of the dragon's attack did not die out, they remained there as if they were real, while Rick was screaming in intense pain. "Corrupt humans in the world… all out for themselves, and looking for something to mess up…" she disgustingly spat as her dragon roared within the shadows and vanished. She turned away, and began to walk, leaving Rick to burn in the flames that was her hatred for the world.

* * *

Author's Note: Now, because there might be confusion with the latest introduced monsters… I decided it'd be great to give you guys a complete gallery before I leave the world of Fan Fiction to participate in National Novel Writing Month. However, I'll probably do it tomorrow, DURING Halloween night, so expect a double-update this weekend. Onto the next Episod—I mean chapter!

Disclaimer: Warning; This is not owned by me, as written by Raptor Johnny ((AKA: John B. in real life)). This show is written/owned by Katsumi Ono, I think. The show is made in Studio Gallop. If you too are a fan, please support the official release. Once again, the show is not owned by me, but the writing you have currently seen is owned by me, and me alone... Please support the official Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Show.


	9. Battle Once More! Yusei vs Akiza!

"Hey, Yusei…" Johnny asked before they were about to drive off to who-knows-where.

"What's up?" Yusei asked, looking at Johnny with a perplexed look.

"Will I ever get a D-Wheel?" he asked with a grin across his face, making Jack and Crow drop their heads. "What? It's a serious question! I've been looking in on Riding Duels, and I've wanted to do one for so long" he explained with a pout on his face.

"…" Yusei revved up his D-Wheel, and just smiled with a chuckle. "You know what, Johnny?" he stopped, revving his engines once more, and then looked at him. "I'll think about it" he then drove off, along with Crow and Jack roaring their engines and speeding off with him.

"You sure your parents don't have anything to say to us taking you along with us?" Crow asked his passenger with a sweat drop.

"Er… trust me… she won't notice…" Johnny chuckled nervously before taking a check at his cell phone. He gasped at the number of missed calls, all of which were from his mother! "Uh… she doesn't worry about me…" he lied before hiding his phone and then sweat dropping again.

"Yeesh, some caring mom you've got" Crow replied to him with a sarcastic tone. The two then laughed at each other's responses. "Yep, I knew I was gonna get along with you from the start!" he sneered, as well as Johnny.

"Don't forget, we still gotta do our Duel; Blackwings vs. Jurracs!" Johnny reminded him as the two laughed once more.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still gonna be kicking your ass around anyway!" Crow revved up his engines, and sped up along with Yusei and Jack. The three then drove off with their new passenger, now going deeper into the mysteries of the world of speed!

* * *

"Alright, time for me to take a break…" Arianna sighed, sitting down on a bench, and staring at the night sky. The cool night's air felt so good against her skin, so she closed her eyes, and let the wind carry her thoughts where it wished to be. _Nature is so beautiful, even at night… I don't understand why anyone would want to ruin such a beautiful thing…_ She looked up at the night sky, watching the night sky through her light green eyes. The breeze of the night air gently stroked her skin, giving her goose bumps and a shiver.

"Just the perfect kind of night…" she whispered to herself as she took a look around. Street lights illuminated the pitch-black road, and the trees whispered as wind whistled. The blades of grass jumped on each other, while the spiders clung to dear life against their hiding spots. She watched the little critters of earth, watching their every moment as if she were their god, and couldn't help but to smile at them.

"So, enjoying the night off, are we?" a doctor walked out, with only a smile on his face.

"E-e-er! How long were you standing there?" Arianna jumped out of her skin, and fell off the bench with a loud thud. "S-sorry!"

"Its fine, it's fine. You've overworked yourself a little too much, so I'd like you to know something…" the doctor peeked around, as if making sure no one could see, or even hear him in this late night.

"Um… what is it…?" Arianna cocked an eyebrow. She had always been around Dr. Roy for a while, but he never really spoke much to her, not as much as Dr. Roberto, so this felt awkward to her.

"It was something that Jared kid left in his room… he says it's yours" Dr. Roy extended his arm out to her, revealing a deck of cards. "He left a note with them, saying that the Deck of cards is the ones you used in your Duel with him…" he tried to recall the complete note, but Arianna smiled and took the deck out of Dr. Roy's hand.

"That Jared… always tries to find his ways to make me have fun" she sighed, looking at her leaf-charmed necklace. "The guy seems hell-bent on having me Duel more people for fun, I guess" she chuckled to herself before sweat dropping.

"Then why not venture out into the world? You already have your medical degrees all set up for you, so why not do it for yourself?" Dr. Roy asked, looking at her with a smile. "You've already gathered enough credentials, so it's not like Dr. Roberto wouldn't let you off with an entire vacation."

"But, the problem kinda is… I don't want to abandon all the children and elderly who are here…" Arianna answered back, placing the deck in her pocket, shaking her head. "I can't stand the fact that nobody ever does anything to help these people, except for just calling up an ambulance when it might just be too late…" she almost started to tear.

"Don't worry, we don't need you anyway!" Dr. Roy teased with a grin on his older face and a bright twinkle in his dark eyes. "Now go, get on out and venture into the world of Dueling, you're useless anyway!"

"…" Arianna couldn't help but to laugh a little after hearing him say those things, and then smile. "Thank you, thank you all so much for letting me do this…"

"It isn't a problem at all, in fact, we've been wondering when you'd get into it. Youth only lasts for so long, so go on and leave. Come back when you feel like you're satisfied" Dr. Roy said with a dismissive wave.

"Thank you again!" Arianna stood up, and nodded her head. She then ran off, waving him a final goodbye, making a run towards her apartment building. _Thank you… Dr. Roy… All of you guys at the hospital… I'll come back, and make you guys smile even brighter! I'll make sure to bring you guys something enjoyable!

* * *

_

Yusei, Crow, and Jack finally arrived at a different town, with Johnny puking into a paper bag. "Ugh… I'm never gonna ride my own motorcycle…" Johnny burped before puking into his paper bag once again.

"Ha-ha! You've got yourself quite the sick stomach" Crow teased with a grin on his face. "You bet'cha, you're not gonna be riding a motorcycle anytime soon!"

"Johnny, are you sure you can handle traveling like this? We'll be doing this for some amount of time…" Yusei crossed his arms, worried about Johnny who puked into his bag one last time.

"Heck yeah! I just got the case of not-so-good stomach-iosis…" Johnny sweat dropped at his made up disease.

"… Is that even a real disease?" Crow questioned with a sweat drop.

"I think we should stop here, for now. We need to take a look around for any Signers or Signer Dragons for that matter" Yusei explained. As the gang was about to speak, Yusei and Johnny's birthmarks glowed brightly, making them both grunt as it burned deeply.

"T-this pain! What the heck… what's going… on?" Johnny exclaimed, trying to stand with the pain, but he felt like it hurt too much to continue standing on two feet.

"You alright?" Jack asked, helping Johnny back up. "You're going to need to be used to it, the birthmarks burn for their certain reasons…" he explained, looking at Yusei who seemed to be frozen in place. Yusei apparently didn't flinch at the burning birthmark, for he was staring at someone in a black robe.

"Yusei, what's up?" Crow walked over to Yusei, and even he froze in place at the person he saw. Black robes covered their entire body, but their face seemingly wasn't covered up anyway. Red hair flowed down the person's face, scattered at random, with dark red eyes full of hate. Their face made it obvious that this person was a female, but the dark look on her face made her a little frightening, even for Crow.

"Akiza…?" Yusei said, as he took a step towards the girl.

"Shut it, Yusei. The "Akiza" you know is long and gone…" the girl spoke back, raising her arm and revealing a crimson Duel Disk with a pair of black wings, one for the Monster Zone, the other for the Spell/Trap Zone. "I, Akiza, have been reborn!" she called out as she then played a monster onto her Monster Zone, and then the holographic playing field formed a green-skinned angel that hovered above Yusei and co. The angel then grunted, and pointed a finger at the town, releasing a small explosive, and blowing up a small portion of the town!

"Akiza! No, what are you doing?" Yusei tried to run out to her, but all Akiza did was laugh at him.

"Yusei, dear child, have you made it so obvious that you hate me by leaving me at the Arcadia Movement's original base…?" Akiza spoke, as if she weren't herself, watching her monster terrorize the townspeople. It was as if she returned to her old, sadistic self, where she loved to see everyone around her in pain, and couldn't discern enemy from friend.

"Akiza, what are you talking about? I don't hate you…" Yusei tried to explain as he took a step closer.

"Back away, you curse!" Akiza shouted as she slammed a Spell Card onto her Spell/Trap Zone. A wind shot forth, pushing Yusei back a few feet, but he stood his ground as best as he could.

"Akiza… I don't hate you… just what're you talking about!" he tried to argue back, but was continually being pushed back, as well as Crow, Jack and Johnny.

"The hell? Why's this psycho chick got a thing for Yusei?" Johnny asked loudly, but the wind stopped, and he wound up falling face forward. "Ouch…" he muttered to himself.

"Now, Yusei… I've come to do what I should've done to you long ago… what I should've done back during the Fortune Cup…!" Akiza brought that memory back to Yusei, where she tried to kill him, but he continually defied death and won the Duel luckily.

"Akiza… no, there's no need to fight! We can settle this with our words, we're still f—"

"Don't you _dare_ say that word, Yusei!" Akiza cut him off, clenching her fists tightly. "As Duelists, we can only understand each other through our Duels… but I don't care about that, I came here to make sure you don't spread your curse anymore… You've already infected Jack, Crow, and the kid over there" she explained, her eyes full of a resolve to kill Yusei.

"Hey, the name's Raptor Johnny, to you, bub!" Johnny flailed his arms meaninglessly.

_Akiza's really changed… she doesn't seem hesitant on killing me, but why does it seem not so much like her…? These powers, they're nothing like her psychic powers…_ He raised his Duel Disk, with resolve in his eyes. "If a Duel's what you want… then a Duel's what you'll get! I'll save you from your darkness, Akiza! Use me as you want to, like in the Fortune Cup!" Yusei said with determination as their Duel Disks shuffled their decks automatically.

"DUEL!" both of them declared, but then black feathers came around them, forming a circle on the ground.

_Turn 1_

Yusei: 4000

Akiza: 4000

_Where'd those come from…?_ Yusei looked at the black feathers, noticing that they didn't look like any bird's feathers; they looked more like the feathers of an angelic being! _I guess I'll find out in a moment…_ His attention turned back to Akiza, who already drew her opening hand of five.

"Since I'll be the very last person you ever Duel, I'll let you have the first turn, my beloved" Akiza said with a sarcastic tone. _Good, good start… She's still resisting me, but I've got full control over her body at least. Now, if I get rid of this man, I'll not only have full-control over this girl, but maybe even God will recognize me…_

_I don't know what's come over Akiza… but I've gotta win!_ Yusei drew his opening hand as well. "Fine, since I've got the first turn… draw!" he drew his new card, and peeked at it for a moment. "First, I summon Quillbolt Hedgehog in Defense Mode!" the hedgehog squealed as it curled into a ball.

Quillbolt Hedgehog: 800 Defense / 800 Attack

"I'll set two cards face-down, and end my turn" two horizontal face-down cards appeared before Yusei. _Now, Akiza, let me feel your anger and confusion… throw it all at me, only I can take it…_

"Oh, what a pathetic move, Yusei… I'll break it apart! My turn!" Akiza commanded as she fiercely swiped the top card from her deck, and then revealed it. "I'll kick off by summoning **Angel of Cruelty – Furcas**!" she slammed the card onto the Duel Disk, and the holographic field suddenly burst into darkness. The darkness then gathered onto a single spot, revealing the form of a long-bearded, gray-skinned man with large black wings protruding from his back.

_What? That card… that was never in Akiza's deck!_ Yusei stood his ground, unable to determine the ability of the monster that Akiza summoned.

Angel of Cruelty – Furcas: 1850 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Now, for Furcas' effect! When he's successfully summoned, you can't activate Trap Cards until the end of the turn!" Akiza declared before revealing another card in her hand. "I now activate the effect of my **Angel of Power – Azza**! During this turn, by discarding him, any "Angel" Monster on my Field gains 400 Attack Points, and performs Piercing Damage!" she commanded as the card's image projected a small little giggling angel that stood behind Furcas, rubbing his hands together deviously. The creature then buried into the Fallen Angel's body, making it roar with might!

Angel of Cruelty – Furcas: 2250 Attack / 1000 Defense

_This new strategy of Akiza's uses these "Angel" monsters it seems… but it hasn't been fully revealed, so I can't think about her strategy just yet…_ Yusei braced himself for impact, he knew full well of Akiza's psychic powers.

"Now, Angel of Cruelty – Furcas, attack! _Falling Wave_!" Akiza commanded with a laugh as the gray-skinned angel grunted, and his nails grew longer out of nowhere. The angel grunted once again, and lunged at the hedgehog, immediately shattering it to pixels!

"Gah!" Yusei grunted as a shock ran through his body, and the force of the monster's attack almost sent him flying!

Yusei: 2350

"Suffer, Yusei! Suffer the pain I did, and make sure to lavish in it!" Akiza couldn't help but to laugh at Yusei. She laughed not in happiness, but she laughed completely differently, in the way that she was _enjoying_ the look Yusei had on his face.

Yusei panted, holding his guts as if they were going to spill out. _Akiza… you've completely changed…_ He looked at her, panting a little bit. It's been so long since he last faced Akiza's psychic abilities, but he knew very well that they weren't enough to make him feel like he broke a bone or two!

"Now, I'll just end my turn with a face-down" a horizontal card appeared in front of her, and then she looked at Yusei with darkened eyes stained with the lust to kill Yusei. "It's your move now, curse" she loosely allowed the word to escape her lips, the word she used to describe Yusei all those days ago.

End Phase

Angel of Cruelty – Furcas: 1850 Attack / 1000 Defense

_Turn 3_

_Akiza you were never like this… something has a grip on you…_ Yusei drew his next card, and then smiled at it. "I'll start by playing my **Turbo Synchron**!" Yusei commanded as the miniature engine took to the field, grunting and trying to look tough.

Turbo Synchron: 100 Attack / 500 Defense

"What's that pathetic weakling doing in your Deck still? It isn't anywhere near enough to stop my Angel" Akiza commented, and the Angel of Cruelty began to laugh just the same way as Akiza.

"Now, I use the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog in my graveyard! Because I have a Tuner on the Field now… I can Special Summon him out from the grave!" the hedgehog's pixels reformed on the field, and he squealed. "Battle! Turbo Synchron, attack Angel of Cruelty – Furcas!" Yusei commanded, and the engine heeded it, running towards it!

"It's your Life, not mine!" Akiza laughed, but then her creature suddenly switched to Defense Position! "What the! What kind of cheap stunt is this, Yusei?"

"This is Turbo Synchron's effect! When he attacks, he can switch the position of the opponent's monster!" Yusei then pointed at the gray-skinned angel who was now blocking the attack. Turbo Synchron grunted as it bounced off the opponent, and retreated back to Yusei.

Yusei: 1450

"What was the point in even doing that? You lowered your own Life Points for the sake of making my Monster defend itself?" Akiza teased, laughing.

"No, because now… Turbo Synchron's effect activates! Now, judging by the amount of damage I took, I get to Special Summon something in my hand with Attack equal to or less than the damage I took!" Yusei revealed a card in his hand. "Come out, **Tuningware**!" Yusei commanded as the miniature robot with a pot over his head took form onto the field.

Tuningware: 100 Attack / 300 Defense

"Another weakling? Come on, Yusei, I know you've got better moves than that…" Akiza licked her lips, smiling confidently at the moment. "I want more out of you… I want to see you struggle, cringe, I want to see you squirm, like the worm you are!" she was no longer considered a human by the magnitude of impact those words brought on Yusei.

"Trap activate! **Level Tuning**! During this turn, a Monster on my Field gains Levels equal to that of another monster on my field… So now, Tuningware's Level is 1, so the same conditions apply to Turbo Synchron" Yusei explained, and then pointed at his Tuner Monster.

Turbo Synchron: Level 2

Yusei clicked a Spell/Trap Zone button immediately, and it flipped over, revealing itself. "Next, I activate the Trap called **Urgent Tuning**! This card is activated during the Battle Phase, and allows me to Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase!" the Turbo Synchron growled as he burst into two rings, and Tuningware grunted, and became two orbs of light, along with Quillbolt Hedgehog. "_Clustering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon!_ Synchro Summon!" the two rings exploded with pure light! "Roar your engines, **Turbo Warrior**!" Yusei commanded as the large red warrior appeared on the field, grunting as his engines revved, and his sleek red armor glinted against the sun.

Turbo Warrior: 2500 Attack / 1500 Defense

"A Synchro Summon now? Took you long enough, Yusei! Now, come at me, full speed ahead!" Akiza laughed.

"… If you say so!" Yusei then pointed at the Angel monster. "Turbo Warrior, attack! _Accel Slash_!" he commanded, and the warrior heeded as he charged in at the opposing monster. He slashed it in half with crimson-glowing claws, and Akiza laughed.

Akiza: 3350

"I'll set a card face-down, and end my turn…" Yusei then looked at Akiza once again, trying to find a trace of the friend he knew back then.

"Heh… That damage you gave me just now, I loved it! It'" Akiza swiped the new card from her deck, smirking now. "Now, Yusei… I'll introduce you to some mighty fine pain!" she revealed a card in her hand. "Now, by removing from play two "Angel" Monsters resting in the graveyard, I can Special Summon this monster!" the ground began to swirl with darkness as a whole new entity began to rise from the pooling darkness. "Come out… **Angel Earl – Barbatos**!" she commanded as a winged-human rose out from the ground, spreading his darkened wings. His face looked young, yet deceptively handsome. He outstretched his fingers, laughing as his eyes turned red, and his skin turned dark gray, just like Angel of Cruelty – Furcas' skin.

_Another one of those monsters… These monsters have similar traits to those things from all those years ago…_ Yusei braced himself, and looked at the two cards he set.

Angel Earl – Barbatos: 2300 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"Now then, Yusei, I'll make you suffer! Angel Earl's monster effect! Once per turn, by skipping my Battle Phase, I destroy a Monster on your side of the Field, and inflict damage to you equal to its attack power! Say goodbye to your Turbo Warrior! _Fallen Waveforce_!" Akiza commanded, and the angel roared, raising his hand to the sky. Dark clouds came overhead, and then launched a powerful ray of lightning at Turbo Warrior! "Say goodbye to it, and the rest of your Life Points, Yusei Fudo!" Akiza laughed loudly, watching the Turbo Warrior.

"…" Yusei couldn't help but to coyly smile. "Too bad for your Barbatos… his effect doesn't work on Turbo Warrior!" he explained as Turbo Warrior naturally resisted the lightning, as if nothing happened to him at all!

"How the? Your warrior wasn't destroyed…" Akiza muttered, trying to figure out what happened.

"Turbo Warrior's effect, he can't be targeted by the effects of Level 6 or Lower Monsters!" Yusei smiled at his warrior as the warrior grunted in dignity.

"Tch… lucky you, Yusei, you had a monster that saved you from that situation…" Akiza looked at her Angel Earl – Barbatos with utter disgust. "You useless pawn, you didn't do your job right!" she then revealed a monster in her hand. "I'll Normal Summon my **Angel of Heresy – Buer**!" she commanded as a portal opened, and a black-winged angel flew out from it, grunting as the gray-skinned short man grunted and flexed his muscles.

Angel of Heresy – Buer: 500 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner Monster

"Yusei… I'm going to make sure you suffer in this Duel… I'm Tuning my Level 6, Angel Earl – Barbatos to my Level 2 Angel of Heresy – Buer!" she commanded as black rings surrounded black orbs of light. "_Lucifer's servant, arise again as you heed my call!_ Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, **Angel of Demise – Bune**!" she commanded as a gray-skinned angel slowly materialized from the darkness of the Synchro Material. Instead of human heads though, three gray-scaled dragon heads formed, and all of them roared threateningly as the black bat wings of this creature stretched out, and it screeched loudly!

Angel of Demise – Bune: 3000 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now, my Angel of Demise's effect now activates… Once per turn, if the opponent controls a Synchro Monster, and its Level is lower than his… The effects of the Synchro Monster are negated!" Akiza laughed as the dragon screeched, releasing waves of darkness that made a little bit of Turbo Warrior's armor deteriorate.

Yusei covered his ears at the sheer sound of the dragon's screeches, as it almost made him feel like he was going to become deaf! _This sound… Akiza's powers never converted sound into something real…!_

"Now, BATTLE!" Akiza declared as her winged monster arose from the ground, taking flight, and soaring high into the pitch-dark sky that this duel was creating. "Angel of Demise – Bune attacks your Turbo Warrior! _Unholy Strike_!" she commanded her creature. The monster heeded her command, and roared as it descended upon the Turbo Warrior like an incoming missile! It stretched out its arm, and revealed dark claws that then pierced through Turbo Warrior's armor!

"AHHHH!" Yusei yelled as a shard of Turbo Warrior's armor flew past him, and scraped his side. _Ugh… why does this Duel… feel like everything on its own is real? It's like… our monsters… are real! _He panted hard as the Turbo Warrior's remains shattered into pixels once more.

Yusei: 950

"Heheh, that's good, Yusei! That's a good look you've got on your face!" Akiza snickered, unable to help herself to a smile. "Suffer, Yusei, suffer!" she laughed once again as she then pointed at her creature. "Now, during the End Phase… I get to annihilate cards on the Field equal to the number of Synchro Monsters you've got in the grave… Since you've now got one…" she snickered again, and then pointed at Yusei's face-down card. "Your face-down gets destroyed!" One of the three heads sent a blast of flames at the card, and Yusei smiled.

"Now the effect of my Limiter Overload activates! When it gets sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon my **Speed Warrior**!" a card ejected itself from Yusei's Duel Disk. "Come on out, Speed Warrior!" he commanded as the gray warrior roared, did a spin-kick, and took on an acrobatic stance.

Speed Warrior: 900 Attack / 500 Defense

"Humph, what a weaklings you cling to…" Akiza snickered at the monster, and then pointed at Yusei dramatically. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Yusei swiped the top card of his deck, and declared, "Draw!" His eyes peeked at the card he drew, and he smiled.

* * *

Author's Note: Oops, you're reading the wrong chapter if you're trying to read the end of this Duel. :P

Disclaimer: Warning; This is not owned by me, as written by Raptor Johnny ((AKA: John B. in real life)). This show is written/owned by Katsumi Ono, I think. The show is made in Studio Gallop. If you too are a fan, please support the official release. Once again, the show is not owned by me, but the writing you have currently seen is owned by me, and me alone... Please support the official Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Show.


	10. Descending Despair! Aeries!

"Yusei… I'm going to make sure you suffer in this Duel… I'm Tuning my Level 6, Angel Earl – Barbatos to my Level 2 Angel of Heresy – Buer!" she commanded as black rings surrounded black orbs of light. "_Lucifer's servant, arise again as you heed my call!_ Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, **Angel of Demise – Bune**!" she commanded as a gray-skinned angel slowly materialized from the darkness of the Synchro Material. Instead of human heads though, three gray-scaled dragon heads formed, and all of them roared threateningly as the black bat wings of this creature stretched out, and it screeched loudly!

Angel of Demise – Bune: 3000 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now, my Angel of Demise's effect now activates… Once per turn, if the opponent controls a Synchro Monster, and its Level is lower than his… The effects of the Synchro Monster are negated!" Akiza laughed as the dragon screeched, releasing waves of darkness that made a little bit of Turbo Warrior's armor deteriorate.

Yusei covered his ears at the sheer sound of the dragon's screeches, as it almost made him feel like he was going to become deaf! _This sound… Akiza's powers never converted sound into something real…!_

"Now, BATTLE!" Akiza declared as her winged monster arose from the ground, taking flight, and soaring high into the pitch-dark sky that this duel was creating. "Angel of Demise – Bune attacks your Turbo Warrior! _Unholy Strike_!" she commanded her creature. The monster heeded her command, and roared as it descended upon the Turbo Warrior like an incoming missile! It stretched out it's arm, and revealed dark claws that then pierced through Turbo Warrior's armor!

"AH!" Yusei yelled as a shard of Turbo Warrior's armor flew past him, and scraped his side. _Ugh… why does this Duel… feel like everything on its own is real? It's like… our monsters… are real! _He panted hard as the Turbo Warrior's remains shattered into pixels once more.

Yusei: 950

"Heheh, that's good, Yusei! That's a good look you've got on your face!" Akiza snickered, unable to help herself to a smile. "Suffer, Yusei, suffer!" she laughed once again as she then pointed at her creature. "Now, during the End Phase… I get to annihilate cards on the Field equal to the number of Synchro Monsters you've got in the grave… Since you've now got one…" she snickered again, and then pointed at Yusei's face-down card. "Your face-down gets destroyed!" One of the three heads sent a blast of flames at the card, and Yusei smiled.

"Now the effect of my Limiter Overload activates! When it gets sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon my **Speed Warrior**!" a card ejected itself from Yusei's Duel Disk. "Come on out, Speed Warrior!" he commanded as the gray warrior roared, did a spin-kick, and took on an acrobatic stance.

Speed Warrior: 900 Attack / 500 Defense

"Humph, what a weakling you rely on…" Akiza snickered at the monster, and then pointed at Yusei dramatically. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Yusei swiped the top card of his deck, and declared, "Draw!" His eyes peeked at the card he drew, and he smiled. "Now, I play the Spell Card called **Tuning**!" the spell card revealed itself. "Now, I get to select one Tuner monster with "Synchron" in their name, and add it to my hand" Yusei muttered, and then looked through his deck. He revealed the card to Akiza, "I select my **Quickdraw Synchron**." Yusei shuffled his deck and then jammed it back into his Duel Disk. "Now, by the effect of Tuning, I send a card from the top of my deck to the grave" Yusei immediately followed up with that action.

"Doesn't matter what you do, Yusei, you're going to lose here anyway" Akiza laughed at Yusei, looking at her Angel of Demise. _Little does Yusei know, that the more he futilely Synchro Summons, the closer his doom arrives…_

"Now, I'll send a Monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon my Quickdraw Synchron! I'll send Junk Synchron to the grave to Special Summon him!" Yusei's cowboy-shaped robot formed on the Field, grunting as he pointed his gun at Akiza.

Quickdraw Synchron: 700 Attack / 1400 Defense

"Next, I Summon **Cluster Pendulum**!" he commanded as a miniature pendulum formed onto the field, beeping several times as Akiza's monster appeared to be scanned for some reason.

Cluster Pendulum: 100 Attack / 300 Defense

"Yusei, the more you Summon these pathetic weaklings you call monsters, the more you irritate me…" Akiza crossed her arms.

"Cluster Pendulum's effect activates. When he's Summoned, I Special Summon Pendulum Tokens equal to the number of monsters you've got on the field!" Yusei explained with a coy smile as his pendulum replicated itself in Defense Position.

Pendulum Token: 100 Attack / 100 Defense

"Humph, all you can do is Summon _more_ weaklings, why am I not surprised, Yusei?" Akiza sighed, shaking her head. "And here I thought you'd give me a good fight, Yusei" she snickered as she pestered him on.

"I'll be tuning the Level 2 Speed Warrior to my Level 1 Cluster Pendulum and my Level 5 Quickdraw Synchron!" Yusei instructed as five green rings surrounded three silvery orbs. "_Clustering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god!_ _Become the path its light shines upon!_ Synchro Summon!" a four-armed, mechanical giant shot out from the light, roaring as static emitted from his body. "Obliterate, **Junk Destroyer**!" he called the name of his mighty monster.

Junk Archer: 2600 Attack / 2500 Defense

"Humph, Synchro Monsters…" Akiza couldn't help but to laugh at Yusei. "The sign of evolution, Synchro Monsters, however…" she then pointed at it. "That's why it'll lead to your ruin, Yusei Fudo!"

"You say that, yet look back at your past, Akiza! Black Rose Dragon was your Synchro Monster, as well as Splendid Rose! Look at the monster you're using now! It too is a Synchro Monster" Yusei pointed out, clenching his gloved fists tightly.

"This Synchro Monster isn't just _any_ Synchro Monster… This monster here is a servant to the constellation in heaven" Akiza smirked, and laughed at Yusei.

"What are you…?" Yusei shook his head, and then looked at Junk Archer. "I activate Junk Destroyer's Monster effect! During this turn, when he's Synchro Summoned, I destroy cards equal to the number of non-Tuners that were used in his Summon!" he instructed, smiling widely. "_Tidal Energy_!" Yusei commanded the ability, and his archer grunted and shot a silvery arrow towards the hulking, tri-headed dragon-like fallen angel.

"Smile while you can, Yusei, but… my Angel of Demise **also** has an interesting ability… When he's destroyed, I _must_ take a DARK-Attribute Fairy-Type Monster Card from my Deck and add it to my hand… " Akiza laughed as she revealed the card she added. "My own favorite, **Angel of Cowardliness - Lucifuge**" she smirked.

"Lucifuge?" Yusei repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I'll set one card, and end my turn…" he muttered. Something must have been behind that card that Akiza added to her hand, if it was so important.

"Way to go, Yusei! You've got this chick's Life Points at your mercy!" Johnny cheered on.

"Show them your true power, Yusei!" Jack cheered in his own way as well.

Crow bit his bottom lip, thinking about the card that Akiza added to her hand. _That card… why something so specific?_

"Are you done with your turn, Yusei, or are you just going to babble on like a fool over there?" Akiza asked impatiently.

"No, Akiza, because now…" Yusei pointed at Akiza. "Battle! Junk Destroyer, direct attack! _Destroy Knuckle_!" he commanded his warrior, and it roared while launching several energy blasts at Akiza, which knocked her back a few inches.

"Hmph, you'll pay for that, fool…" Akiza clenched her fist tightly, but she couldn't help but to snicker anyway. She had this Duel under wraps, thanks to the card she added to her hand.

Akiza: 750

"I'll end my turn…" Yusei watched Akiza carefully. Now was the time he'd see what she was going to do with the new card in her hand.

"My turn!" Akiza swiped her card, and then looked at it, only to grin. "I'll remove from play my Angel of Demise – Bune with my Angel Earl – Barbatos in order to Special Summon…" she revealed the card she drew. "**Angel of Darklight – Lucifer**!" she commanded as the portal of darkness swallowed two of the angels, and then a large, black-winged angel came forth again with a royal-esque look on his face. He had gray skin, like his comrades, and a robe that covered most of his body.

Angel of Darklight – Lucifer: 2400 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Next, I Normal Summon my Tuner Monster: **Angel of Cowardliness - Lucifuge**!" she commanded as a miniature angel with dark skin appeared on the field, with wings that looked like that of a demon's!

Angel of Cowardliness - Lucifuge: 0 Attack / 200 Defense.

"Now… I'll be _correcting_ this Level 7 Angel of Darklight – Lucifer to my Level 3 Angel of Cowardliness - Lucifuge!" she commanded as the sky suddenly faded to black, turning to night immediately. The black feathers that circled around their field began to gather, floating by some mystical force. They formed three rings, while several feathers flocked on their own, lining up as a line of 7 feathers on their own!

"Another Synchro Summon?" Yusei asked, surprised at the newer turn of events. A regular Synchro Summon was _never_ like this!

"_Oh angel of the stars at night, awaken your powers from the constellation you sleep on! Ram your enemies in half!_ **Star Summon**! Descend from the heavens, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries**!" Akiza commanded as a white light exploded from the gathering feathers!

"Star Summon you say?" Jack repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"A Star Summon? The heck's that?" Johnny tried to question, but feared that he probably shouldn't have asked.

"Yusei, watch it!" Crow warned.

"Star Summon?" Yusei was surprised, his eyes wide as he watched something descend from the explosion of light. Something that appeared to look like it was half-ram yet half-human was descending from the sky, with gray skin and black fur. It appeared to be female with curved horns on her head. Black hair flowed down this thing's head, and crimson red eyes stared down at Yusei with a dangerous, ominous glare. She roared with might as her dark wings unfolded with a dark majesty. The creature's wings flapped and beat hard, releasing heavy gusts of wind that almost knocked Yusei off his feet!

"Star Summon is nothing like you humans' Synchro Summons… We correct the mistakes that our monsters have by removing them from the game, and when their Levels add up to the same as these Star Monsters, that's when they can be summoned. Their Summon cannot be chained to, and it can only be done by using a specific Tuner Monster, as written on the card text" Akiza explained, and couldn't help but to snicker as her shoulder blades bubbled a little bit.

_Akiza… what are you…?_ Yusei's eyes shot open as he witnessed Akiza grow black angel wings like her monsters, and then unfolded in an almost unholy majesty.

"Yusei, you thought you defeated them, didn't you?" Akiza snickered, without holding back now. "However… the Fallen Angels of the Stars will not stop until their duty is complete. God has commanded them to do it, but they are weak, they need a human companion to do it after their battle with your accursed Shooting Star Dragon" she said, laughing as her creature roared loudly once again and Yusei's Signer Birthmark suddenly flared to life, as well as Johnny's!

"Whoa, what the heck's that thing!" Johnny pointed at the newly formed monster. This was his first time seeing something like this, so of course his reaction was nothing like Jack and Crow's reactions.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries: 3500 Attack / 3000 Defense

"Now, Aeries' effect activates at this time! Now, all set cards on your side of the Field cannot be activated!" Akiza commanded as Aeries grunted and flapped her wings, suddenly freezing Yusei's face-down!

"What? Now…" Yusei panicked because he couldn't stop her monster's oncoming attack! He cursed under his breath and looked at his face-down **Scrap Iron Scarecrow**. _I can't stop her attack now… It's over for me!_

"Next, I activate my Aeries' second effect! Once per turn, I remove a Synchro Monster from play in the graveyard. Then, she gains Attack Power equal to its Level x 200!" a black portal opened up in between Yusei and Akiza, revealing Angel of Demise – Bune. "Bune was Level 10, so…" she then pointed at Aeries, who sucked it in and roared mightily. Aeries' muscles grew larger while she was beating her wings and creating heavy gusts that made Yusei almost fall off balance!

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries: 5500 Attack / 3000 Defense

"5500 Attack Points!" Yusei, Crow, Jack and Johnny all repeated with panic. _Holy… that's big…_ Johnny sweat dropped as he witnessed the fear-instilling Fallen Angel of the Stars roar with might.

"It's over, Yusei! Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries, attack that worthless monster! It's over, Yusei Fudo!" Akiza laughed as darkness gathered underneath the wings of her monster. The monster screeched a high-pitched scream as she then flapped her wings, releasing multiple relentless waves of darkness that overtook Junk Destroyer, and sent Yusei flying back several feet. The Junk Destroyer grunted, using his four arms to try and survive the impact, but to no avail. Junk Destroyer shattered into pixels, and the winds of darkness attacked Yusei!

Yusei: 0

Yusei yelled in pain as his Life Point parameters hit Zero. The explosion resulted in a wind that threw Yusei back off his feet, and he was flying towards an opening portal of darkness!

"You've lost Yusei, and the loser of this Duel… will **fall**!" Akiza laughed manically.

"Yusei!" Crow called out loudly.

"Yusei!" Jack was about to run, but even he knew it was too late.

"Yusei!" Johnny yelled, the birthmark burning him severely, but he didn't care. He was about to lose a new friend at this rate!

"Ahhhh!" Yusei was almost close to the portal, but then a shot of crimson spurt from the ground, covering him in a bubble of red light. Screams of a mystic dragon echoed through the area as the crimson sun's light shot through the darkness of the artificial night sky!

"Who dares to disturb th—" crimson light shot forth at the Fallen Angel of the Stars, and she blocked the attack with a single swing of her arm. A dragon roared again as Yusei floated back to his friends within the bubble, and it burst. The form of a dragon made of crimson energy took shape, revealing itself as it roared again!

"C-Crimson Dragon!" Yusei said in surprise, and Johnny looked at Yusei.

"What the heck's the Crimson Dragon?" he questioned. Albeit he was a Signer as well, he was still unaware of what the Crimson Dragon was, nor what its purpose was.

"Tch, Crimson Dragon…" Akiza spat, crossing her arms. "I'm out of here… Yusei, remember this day. I'll have my shot at killing you, so you better live. No one has the right to kill you, no one other than _me_" she said threateningly, crossing her arms. "The constellations have shifted, and they're all set for destroying the earth, starting with the pesky Signers!" she snickered as she then withdrew her monster card, revealing to Yusei a card that was of a prismatic-yellow color, and the Fallen Angel roared once more. She dematerialized in the form of feathers, and receded back into its card form. "I'll be back, and next time… I'll have your _soul_" Akiza warned, laughing as she vanished in a mist of darkness.

The Crimson Dragon roared once more, and vanished suddenly in a mist of light. _The Crimson Dragon… Fallen Angels of the Stars… What's going on here?_ Yusei shook his head, unable to process what just happened, nor piece it together completely. He was worn out, and unable to stand. He staggered, unable to stand up straight, for his body was in shock from all the damage in that Duel.

"Phew… It's a miracle you're alive" Johnny sighed with relief, watching his birthmark vanish into thin air. "Dude… that was wicked! You were gonna pulverize her, and then she went ahead and fought back! I swear, that was _epic_ beyond all relief!" he sighed in amazement.

Crow sweat dropped, "Uh… you weren't the one that got half-way killed, so I wouldn't say that with Yusei about to glare at you…"

"Well, dudes, we've gotta take him to a hospital… I'm damn sure we can find one here in Michigan!" Johnny turned around, and sweat dropped. He witnessed the destruction of the town, but forgot about it during the start of Yusei's falling out with Akiza. "Uh… never mind that idea, we've gotta find us a hospital in another town…" he sighed.

"Then that means someone's gotta drive Yusei's D-Wheel, we can't just leave it out here for someone to steal…" Crow responded with a face-palm. "Johnny… you sure you don't have any skills with a D-Wheel? At _least_ a motorcycle or a bicycle?" he was praying in his mind that Johnny indeed did have those kind of trainings on hand.

"Uh… no… Well… I rode a bike once…" Johnny flashbacked to the moment his six-year old self jumped onto a bike with training wheels. The little Johnny fell off and cried rivers!

Crow and Jack imagined that and sweat dropped. "Yusei, can you still drive?" Crow pleaded, now _afraid_ to even let Johnny touch Yusei's D-Wheel.

"Sorry, I honestly can't…" Yusei responded, trying to stand on his leg, but pain jolted through his body, which made him fall back onto Crow's shoulder.

"Wasn't there a town nearby here?" Jack pointed to their right. "I saw one there, and I know my eyes aren't malfunctioning yet!" he argued, in case anyone had rebuttal.

"Close by? Legit?" Johnny asked, blinking several times as he watched Jack take a few steps over to him.

"You're lucky you're a Signer, otherwise I'd be killing you right now…" Jack said with a glare and a sweat drop.

"Er… thanks…? I totally consider you a friend too…" Johnny smiled with a nervous chuckle.

"That's enough jokin' around. We've gotta get Yusei to that hospital over there…" Crow said before putting Yusei onto his D-Wheel. "Alright, you guys stay here, I'll get him to that nearby town… You can rely on Crow-sama to definitely get him there!" he yelled before his D-Wheel then launched off towards the nearby town.

* * *

Author's Note: Must I say it again? This story sucks, why the hell are you reading it?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, as much as I wish I could… Oh well!


	11. Cards that Foretell Fate! Levis!

"I really thought I'd at least do one more day of work before I go on my leave… So, can I please just get to work now?" Arianna pleaded with a sweat drop, nervously chuckling in front of Dr. Roy. She was in her uniform, but Dr. Roy sighed and shook his head.

"I thought I told you to go on that leave almost a day ago… Are you sure you're not having a nervous breakdown without work or something?" Dr. Roy face-palmed himself, sighing deeply.

"Erm… I don't think so… I kinda just wanna go to work before I leave!" Arianna flailed her arms before hearing the sound of a motorcycle. She turned, and saw Crow bringing someone on his D-Wheel. "Uh… that's new…" she commented with a sweat drop, before seeing Yusei who appeared badly injured. "Whoa, someone's injured on there!" Arianna was about to take action, but then Crow took Yusei off, and ran up to Arianna and Dr. Roy.

"Guys, my friend here is hurt, and I really need your help!" Crow panicked, looking at Yusei who seemed to have been knocked out, and bleeding in a few areas.

"Arianna, looks like you're on duty!" Dr. Roy instructed before pulling out a stretcher for Crow to put Yusei on. Arianna nodded her head at Crow, assuring him that he'd be in the best of care as the nurse and doctor both ran off with Yusei.

Crow sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "That girl… something's weird about her…" he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he was trying to figure it out himself. He shrugged it off, "Now I gotta stick around here 'til Yusei's all better…" he walked into the building, and the doors closed behind him.

* * *

"Finish him off!" Rose barked in serious command. The shadows shifted as if they came to life, revealing the head of a black-scaled dragon with several streaks of crimson all over it. It roared mightily as black flames then shot at her foe, making him scream painfully as his parameters hit a complete zero. The dragon roared as he reverted to pixels, leaving its flames of darkness to burn eternally.

"Y-you witch… ahhh!" the man screamed as the flames continued eating away at his flesh, peeling it off slowly.

"Shut it. You humans don't know what pain is, so allow my flames of hate to show you what pain is like. Suffer, for my flames of suffering will not release you…" Rose spat as she turned away, walking towards the opposite exit of the alleyway where she was dueling that man.

"What an odd, peculiar girl you are" a voice rang from the darkness of the alley. "You're so full of hate. I wonder why that is?" the voice then chuckled lightly.

"I have no business with you, so you shut up as well" Rose snapped at the voice, still walking.

"You talk about suffering as if you're the only one with problems" the voice spoke, as if he were daring to provoke her further.

"That's because what I've been through is something no other person understands… no one understands me, and talks like they can!" Rose argued, clenching her fists tight as she tried hard to not fall into his words.

"My words, they're getting to you, aren't they? They're making you angrier, and making you feel… murderous? Feel like swallowing another victim into the flames of your anger?" the voice chuckled as a dim light suddenly flared at the end. "Follow the light, and the darkness around you fades. Believe in the guide of light, and your anger and hate will be dismissed" the voice offered.

"I don't need a guide. I only need myself, and that's it!" Rose argued, her Duel Disk activating as she readied a card.

"My, my, so you're a Psychic?" the voice sounded sarcastically impressed. "You don't have to follow… but…" the voice trailed off as she approached the light, seeing a candle on the table, burning a bright gold.

"You annoying pest!" Rose shouted, watching as another candle flared to life, revealing the two candles to be on a table. The newly lit candle glowed a bright blue instead of gold, revealing a deck of cards in pale hands. Those pale hands were shuffling the deck of cards, and she looked to see that the man was completely cloaked, except for his face. He had a calm expression on his face, and had two different eye colors. On his left, was a golden yellow eye; while on the right was a bright, baby blue eye color. He also had white, messy hair as if he never combed for a long time.

"Now, would you like me to tell you a fortune? It's for free of course, for you, young lady" the man offered, smiling slyly.

"A fortune?" she raised an eyebrow, watching as the man shuffled his deck of cards once more.

"I will read your fortune through tarot cards, milady. Aren't you curious as to what your fate will be, or who you are destined to battle to end it all?" he asked, grinning as he finally stopped shuffling, and put the deck down in front of him.

"What's your name?" Rose asked, crossing her arms.

"Levis is the name, and fortune-telling is my game. Is it safe to say that you're Rose Marie?"

"How do you know that? I never gave you a name, so where the hell did you get it from!" Rose asked in surprise, in actual shock to be exact.

"The cards do not lie, they tell me of what fate holds in store for everyone, and I've been told that I'd meet you one day. It appears as if that day is today" Levis replied coolly, smiling.

"Humph, as much as I don't care…" Rose pointed at the deck of cards nonchalantly, "Tell me my fortune."

"Oh, I was so hoping you'd say that" Levis almost sounded like a snake when he said that. He simply extracted a card from the middle of the deck, and he lifted it up, it's front well out of his sight. "You are represented by…" he revealed the card. "The Emperor. This is not the time to give into the unconscious, not the time to let yourself be controlled by the wants and needs of others" he smiled once more. "Now, onto your awaited fate…"

Rose listened carefully, despite how little she could really care.

Levis then extracted another card. He then revealed the card to her. "The Strength" he said, closing his eyes once more. "This card is what your fate requires for it to transpire. You must remain vigilant, and continue at your intended goal until you succeed" Levis explained closing his eyes.

"And…?"

"And now, for what the tarot's fortune holds for you…" Levis swiped a card from the top of the tarot deck finally, and his eyes peeked at it lazily. His eyes looked a card with a beautiful artwork on it, and grinned. "The Star smiles upon you, milady… It reveals future peace and settlement. Your hate will be disposed of, and you will be satisfied… however…" he laid the card down for her. "That does not mean that there is no obstacle standing in the way…" he then looked at Rose's crimson eyes with his gold and blue eyes.

"An obstacle you say? Humph, and just what is this obstacle you speak of? Whatever it is, my flames will crush it!" Rose said with fists clenched.

"Your obstacle comes in the shape of a man, a man with navy-blue eyes, and a birthmark etched onto his flesh, just like you do…" Levis smiled.

"You know of the symbol of hatred on my arm?" Rose asked, moving her sleeve to reveal a red birthmark that appeared to be the Tail of the Crimson Dragon.

"Yes… that mark is a curse to those who bear it, and you can only remove it through one mean…" he then pointed at The Star card once more. "In order for your peace to come true, this obstacle must be destroyed…"

"So, one important victim, and all this will be over with? How will that bring Keith back to life?" she demanded to know.

"Keith's soul lies within our presence in purgatory" Levis began to explain, closing his eyes. "Your lover, he is in purgatory, earthbound forevermore. If you want something basic, he's stuck here as a hell on earth" he crossed his arms. "His soul is not satisfied until you have been satisfied. When you've cleared your obstruction, you will be satisfied. Then, he'll live his life in heaven, happy for your soul…"

"That doesn't bring him back though, so what's the point? I may as well just kill you now for wasting my own time!" Rose barked.

"Now hold on. The Wheel of Samsara does not stop spinning. With your satisfaction…" he swiped a card from the tarot deck, revealing The Empress. "You are fated to meet your lover, thanks to your fated satisfaction" he added, and then closed his eyes. "Wouldn't you like for your lover to live peacefully in heaven, rather than be stuck to this hell on earth for life?"

Rose froze for a second. _Keith… could you really suffering like that…?_ Her fists slowly loosened up a little, and she breathed in deeply. "Tell me… who is it that I must kill? I'll do anything for him… just tell me…"

Levis fixed himself, and shuffled his deck of tarot cards once more. "The one you must kill is named…" his voice trailed off into a low whisper. "Yusei Fudo."

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, despite that I'd love to.

Author's Note: Sheesh, I haven't been writing since I finished Nation Novel Writing Month... I promise to update a little more often now.


	12. Burning Soul!

"So, Jack… Sorry to bring this up…" Johnny fidgeted for almost a second. He was scared to ask the question, but it was required since he was sucked into this whole Signer business. "What happened to Red Demons Dragon?" Johnny asked out of pure, innocent curiosity. The monster belonged to one of his heroes, and yet they flinched so much at the mention of that monster.

Jack flinched for a moment, not at the fact that Johnny actually spoke to him, but at the mere mention of his lost soul. "…" Jack did not answer that question. All he did was clench his fists once more, feeling annoyed that Johnny tried to ask that question once more.

"You don't got to answer me, but… I'd really like to know, so I don't make that mistake…" Johnny asked, sighing as if he were pleading. _Just what's wrong with him anyway? He acts like someone stole Red Demons or something…_

The two were quiet. Not another word was exchanged between the two males, but the silence was enough for Jack to calm down. He breathed in deeply, and exhaled, remembering what Carly once said to him. _Friendship and trust isn't something that you can't just __**not**__ contribute to… You need to uphold your side of the friendship, and hold it up. You guys, the Signers, are bound by the marks of the Crimson Dragon, right? Then maintain your friendship, no matter what!_ Jack looked at his arm, knowing that his birthmark no longer existed there, but Johnny was now the bearer of his wings. _I'm no longer a Signer, so I shouldn't be here at all…_ He then looked at Johnny finally. _But the Crimson Dragon chose him, instead of me now… As a Signer from the previous generation, I guess it's my duty to hand down the knowledge of my burning soul… As such though, I must trust him with the secret that we are burdened with…_

"My Red Demons Dragon…" Jack finally spoke, making Johnny look at him with eyes wide in surprise. "Who are you looking at with eyes like that?" Jack barked, not liking the expression on Johnny's face.

"Er… sorry, it's kinda surprising that you're gonna talk about what happened to your Red Demons Dragon, especially after all this time" Johnny answered bluntly with a sweat drop. _Crap. That made no sense. Should'a just planned ahead of time…_

Jack sighed, and looked at Johnny with his violet eyes. "Johnny, Red Demons Dragon wasn't simply taken away from me…" he closed his eyes at this point. "He was _ripped_ away from me, Johnny. He was taken by the enemy, and _ripped_ away from me" he explained, which surprised Johnny. "Remember that "Fallen Angel of the Stars" that Yusei fought?"

"Yo, wait, _that_ thing was what took down Red Demons?" Johnny raised an eyebrow, as if ready to argue. "Heck no, Red Demons can't _possibly_ lose to something as stupid as a "Fallen Angel of the Stars". Psh, Red Demons is wayyy stronger than that!" he laughed.

"It's not a joke!" Jack barked, silencing Johnny's laughter. "That monster isn't the only one of it's kind… if it's what I think it is, then there's more of them out there, waiting to fight the Signers" he explained ominously, remembering the five shadows that were destroyed by Shooting Star Dragon, but the other Signer Dragons were still lost and damned.

"Oh…" Johnny said, looking at Meteo-Rage Dragon who was in his hands at the moment. _If I don't get stronger… I might lose Meteo-Rage… and I'll never get him back!_ He looked at Jack, and frowned. "Jack… would you mind Dueling with me?"

"Why would you want another Duel with me?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because… I don't want to lose Meteo-Rage Dragon, not ever… And… We've still got a score to settle anyway" Johnny slyly grinned. "If we don't settle that score, I probably won't get any bit stronger!" he pointed at Jack, watching his Duel Disk activate.

Jack couldn't help but to chuckle as his Duel Disk activated as well. "Fine then, Johnny. Let's settle our score!" the holographic field invoked. Both of them then declared the classic "DUEL!"

"Since you lost last time, you get to make the first hit-and-run!" Johnny offered with a grin.

"Hey, a Duel's going on here?" a voice rang out suddenly, halting the two from even beginning their duel. "Hey, I wanna Duel Jack over there, kid, so put that disk down" the voice said with a chuckle.

"Who the heck are you callin' a kid?" Johnny immediately reacted, raising a fist. "Come on out so I can kick your butt with my Jurracs!" he challenged.

"Hmph, I said it before, I want Jack. I don't feel like kicking the crud out of some kid" the voice answered back in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "Now, Jack Atlas, will you accept my challenge or not?"

"Show yourself, and maybe I will" Jack answered with a frown. It's not like he wanted to accept the challenge, but he had to anyway. His pride as a Duelist would never let him turn down a challenge.

"That little pride of yours… It'll be your undoing, got it, Jackie?" the male voice laughed as a man suddenly appeared in front of them, standing straight and tall, at least on the same level of height as Jack.

He wore a large black cloak that covered all but his hands and face. He appeared light-skinned, with dark yellow eyes, and long brown hair. His hair appeared very messy, yet it seemed to match the wild look on the man's face. "Yo…" he raised a peace sign. "You called?" he asked sarcastically with a grin.

"Hmph, so I guess you're the one who foolishly decided to challenge me to a Duel?" Jack crossed his arms. _Something doesn't feel right about this guy… Nothing should ever feel right about someone just suddenly appearing out of nowhere though, so I guess it's predictable to think that way…_

"Yeah, you gonna fight me or what? I ain't got all day, boss gave me a time limit here" the man answered, impatiently waiting for Jack to raise his Duel Disk.

"What's your name?" Jack asked curiously.

"My name? Yeesh, you Japanese and your need to know names…" he grinned savagely once more. Like a ruffian, he couldn't help but to laugh. "The name's Regis, now let's get to fightin' already, I've had enough sissy-talk now.

"Hmph, I'd like to know the name of the foe who I'm going to defeat" Jack answered back as his Wheel of Fortune's Duel Disk was about to detach itself.

"No, no, no! Ground Duels are so boring…" Regis answered as a large, black-winged D-Wheel suddenly appeared instantaneously! It appeared to be long, made of a sleek black metal with two large wings on each side. The very tip had a charm that looked like an angelic man screaming in agony, and hung on a cross. The D-Wheel looked a little simple in the frame, but the controls looked out of this world.

"Whoa! Dude, Jack, you shouldn't Duel this guy…" Johnny grumbled, now feeling an unsettling feeling from the guy. Suddenly, his Signer Mark shone brightly, and he felt a slight burning pain.

"Then that means…" Jack turned to Regis.

"Yep, I'm also a Fallen, Jackie Chan" Regis joked with a grin across his face. "Nothin' seems to get by the Crimson Dragon then…" he shrugged passively. A black aura appeared around him as large, pitch-black wings burst from his back. "The angel within me is hungry for a victim, Jack Atlas… now won't you be so kind as to feed its need?"

"Wh-what the?" Jack grunted in disbelief at the man's sudden changes. _This power… Akiza didn't present something like this when Yusei was Dueling her… Is there some kind of difference between the Fallen?_

"Jack, you really shouldn't Duel him… Let me!" Johnny offered. Now he was trying his best to be a Signer, despite the fact that he was a little a afraid of Regis right now.

"No, kid, I said Jack's gonna be Duelin' me. I'll kick your ass later, boss-man's gonna kill me if I kill a Signer" Regis answered with a grin, revealing sharp fangs that replaced his human teeth. "Come on, Jack, don't'cha wanna prove to Johnny how strong your power is?" he egged Jack on.

"Grr…" Jack clenched his fists tightly. "Are you trying to irritate me?" he spat as he leaped onto his D-Wheel. "Fine then! I'll prove to you the power of Jack Atlas!"

"Good boy, do what a man of your caliber should be doin'…" Regis smirked as he leaped onto his D-Wheel, and revved its engines. The engines roared loudly, sounding like agonizing screams. "Now then…" feathers suddenly rained from the sky, landing specifically to form what looked like a Riding Duel track. "Follow the spaces between them, or you'll run into a wall…" Regis knocked against the invisible wall with his hand. It definitely made a bang sound, showing that there indeed was an invisible wall there.

"Hmph…" Jack revved his D-Wheel's engine. Both of them revved their engines mightily as their D-Wheels' computers suddenly beeped, automatically switching to auto-pilot.

"Duel!" both Jack and Regis declared as their D-Wheels roared, and the track of black feathers began to glow ominously. Both their D-Wheels shot forth, racing towards the first turn! "Whoever turns the corner first gets the first move… Lets see who's faster!"

"Obviously it'll be me!" Jack mused as his D-Wheel accelerated faster, he revved his engine, and it blazed forward a little bit past his foe.

"Fast D-Wheel or not, Jack Atlas, I'll still go first!" Regis laughed as he drifted slightly towards the corner.

Jack watched his foe as he almost turned the corner. Everything seemed slower at the moment between him and Regis. He could see Regis's wicked smile as Regis then shot forth past Jack, regardless of what Regis did!

"Looks like the first move's on me, Jack!" he chimed, grinning like a madman.

"How the…?" Johnny's eyes were wide with surprise. _Nothing's faster than Jack's Wheel of Fortune, and even Yusei's D-Wheel and Crow's Black Bird… but… that guy…_

"Hmph, a cheap stunt you pulled…" Jack muttered, almost half-knowing of what Regis did to acheive the first turn. "It seems that you drifted nearby that turn, storing up momentum for your next acceleration. After that, you accelerated, and shot forth using all of that store momentum to pass right by me" he explained, frowning. He drew his opening hand along with his foe.

"A little like that, I guess…" Regis shrugged.

Regis: 4000

Jack: 4000

"The first turn's mine, so I draw!" Regis drew his sixth card, smirking and laughing the whole time. "First off, I'll Summon my **Vairon Charger**!" the man commanded as a towering creature appeared between them, releasing mystic rays of light everywhere.

Vairon Charger: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Vairon…?" Jack muttered to himself. He'd never heard of this particular kind of monster.

"Now then, I'll set two cards face-down… and activate this card!" he revealed a green card. A Speed Spell, as per usual from a Riding Duel. "**Speed Spell – Overdrive**!" he called out the name as the card glowed green. "This can only be used when the opponent and I have no Speed Counters… I reveal and activate Trap Cards on the Field. If their Timing is correct… then they are activated as per normal… However…" he grinned, "if they're wrong, I take 1000 Points of Damage for each one! If their Timing is indeed correct, then we gain Speed Counters equal to the number I activated!"

"Hmph, then they must be some good Trap Cards if you're willing to activate them on the first turn! Reveal them, I'd like to see what they are!" Jack barked.

"You asked for it…" Regis grinned. The two face-downs flipped up, revealing **Blast with Chain** and **Kunai with Chain**! "These two cards have a correct timing, so they are activated normally! These cards in particular, when they are activated, can equip themselves to a monster…" two chains shot out from the card, launching themselves at Vairon Charger, and wrapped around its armor!

"Hmph, lucky draws, that's all it is" Jack frowned. _Those Traps can equip themselves to other monsters? I might be in for some hell now…_

"Now then, for their abilities… they provide my Vairon Charger 500 Attack Points each!"

Vairon Charger: 2000 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Next! His effect now gets to work! For every card equipped to him… He freely gives away 300 Attack Points to all LIGHT-Attribute Monster on the Field! See, that's what happens when you're not being greedy" Regis grinned, laughing a little bit. "But, seeing as he's the only one… I guess he's the only one receiving that boost!"

Vairon Charger: 2600 Attack / 1000 Defense

"W-what the?" Jack argued back in disbelief. His opponent now controlled a monster that no regular monster could simply run over at this point!

"Hmph, I'll end my turn with this face-down, Jackie!" a horizontal card appeared in front of his D-Wheel and Regis laughed at his foe's simplistic reaction.

Jack: 4000 / 3 Speed Counters

Regis: 4000 / 3 Speed Counters

"My turn!" Jack commanded, drawing his sixth card. "Hmph, I'll first Normal Summon **Twin-Sword Marauder**!" he commanded as a warrior formed on the field, wielding two swords, and roaring all at once.

Twin-Sword Marauder: 1600 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Next, I activate **Speed Spell – Genetic Change**!" he commanded as the Spell Spell revealed a card art the appeared to have a human breaking down into tiny pieces, and a scientist changing the colors of the pieces. "When my Speed Counters are at three or higher, I can select a monster on my field and change its type!" the Twin-Sword Marauder growled and yelled in agony as it's skin-tone was changing like a mutation. Instead of human skin, scales shot out, and covered its entire body as its shoulder blades bulged, releasing large dragon wings! "Now my Twin-Sword Marauder, until the End Phase, is treated as a Dragon-Type Monster instead!"

"Wow, Jackie, horrible play you made there. Your monster didn't get any tougher from that" Regis grinned.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of the Level 2 **Bound Resonator** in my hand! When you and I don't control a Synchro Monster, he's Special Summoned as a Level 3 Tuner Monster!" Jack commanded as he slammed the card onto his D-Wheel's Disk. Suddenly, a small figure jumped out from a portal, wearing brown robes and a symbol that appeared to be rocks on the very front of its robe. The tiny demon grinned as it banged its tuning forks together.

Bound Resonator: 800 Attack / 500 Defense | Level 3

"Oh my, is that a Tuner Monster I see there?" Regis grinned and chuckled. "My, my, looks like you've got yourself a Level 7. Oh well, I was surprisingly hoping for **Red Demons Dragon**" he teased and laughed at Jack.

"I'll Tune my Level 4 Twin-Sword Marauder to my Level 3 Bound Resonator!" Jack commanded without hesitation as three rings circled around the four orbs of light. "_The ruler's shouts echo throughout! Hammer of Victory, shatter the very earth!_ Synchro Summon! Flap your wings, **Exploder Dragonwing**!" he chanted as the light exploded, revealing a purple-scaled dragon that slowly descended upon the two, growling as it's menacing red eyes glowed, and a fiery explosive went off behind it!

Exploder Dragonwing: 2400 Attack / 1600 Defense

"Doesn't matter what you bring out, Jack, I've still got this Vairon Charger at high power!" Regis grinned, revealing his eyes to be brimming full of blind confidence.

"That confidence… I'll strike it down!" Jack barked as the ground suddenly shifted around the towering Vairon Charger. Hands from the depths of the earth suddenly reached out, pulling the machine down as it grumbled and groaned in displeasure of what was happening to it!

"What the? What's goin' on here, Jackie?" Regis' eyes widened in surprise at what happened to his creature.

"When Bound Resonator is used for a Synchro Summon, I force your creatures to lose 800 Attack Points! How's that!" Jack grinned coolly as the machine groaned one more time, and Regis spat in disgust.

Vairon Charger: 1800 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Battle! Exploder Dragonwing attacks your Vairon Charger!" Jack instructed his creature and the dragon roared, launching a blast of flames at the towering creature! "Now for his monster effect!"

"Tch, that thing's effect…!" Regis' eyes shot wide open. "Trap Activate, **Armored Assistance**!" he commanded as the trap flipped open, and the kunai weapon shot at the flames, completely being crushed by its almighty force, leaving Vairon Charger standing.

"What the?" Jack was simply surprised at the comeback move that Regis made.

"Through that card's effect… I get to stop my creature's destruction by sending an Equip-Card from it to the graveyard! Think of it as the weapon protecting its wielder" Regis chuckled to himself. "I told ya, Jackie, that I'm not gonna be an easy win! I'll be the one that wipes ya out before the Twilight comes!"

Vairon Charger: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense

"The Twilight? What is that?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't matter, a dead man doesn't need to know a single thing, other than the time of his death!" Regis grinned.

"Hmph! I'll set two cards face-down, and end my turn!"

_Turn 3_

_Jack Atlas Speed Counters: 4_

_Regis Speed Counters: 4_

"Now, it's my turn, Jackie!" Regis grinned, drawing his new card and peeking at it. "Ooh, now this looks _really_ promising!" Regis revealed the card. "I'll activate my **Speed Spell – Summon Speeder**!" he commanded as the card revealed itself to Jack. "Now, through this card's effect… I get to Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from my hand" a single card in Regis' hand glowed. "I'll Special Summon the Tuner Monster **Vairon Hedron**!" he commanded as a mechanical angel formed on the field, roaring to life as the lights from Vairon Charger pointed at it.

Vairon Hedron: 1800 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Vairon Hedron?" Jack raised an eyebrow. _Wait… a Tuner Monster? These conditions on Regis' side of the Field…! Synchro Summon!_

"I'll activate the effect of my Vairon Hedron! By sending an Equip Card to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Vairon" Tuner Monster from the Deck!" Regis grinned as the Blast With Chain card glowed brightly, and vanished suddenly.

Vairon Charger: 200 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

Vairon Hedron: 1500 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner Monster

"I'll Special Summon **Vairon Tetra** from my Deck!" Regis commanded as a mechanical cube formed on the field, beeping and scanning the Field.

Vairon Tetra: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner Monster

"Two Tuner Monsters? Is he going to…!"

"**Double Tuning**!" Regis laughed as six mechanical circles wrapped around four orbs of light. The rings suddenly then glowed a pure white, appearing heavenly as it flared a few times.

"Tch…" Jack suddenly remembered his Red Demons Dragon's transformation into Scar-Red Nova Dragon.

"So Jackie, remembering your precious little Scar-Red Nova Dragon?" Regis couldn't help but to cackle at Jack's look on his face. "_Heaven of the future, bring your greatest envoy! End the life of the heathens who doubt your master, and purify the land!_ Synchro Summon!" the lights completely exploded, suddenly erasing the land that Jack and Regis were Dueling on!

Jack looked around, seeing that they were now riding on a ring with the black feathers still surrounding their new tracks. "What the…? Where are we…?" Jack asked, looking around in surprise.

"Descend, **Vairon Omega**!" Regis commanded as a large robotic angel suddenly descended from the sky, beeping as it's descent appeared almost godly and ultimately divine. It was almost as if it were a mechanical envoy of heaven!

Vairon Omega: 3200 Attack / 1900 Defense

"Now the effect of my Vairon Omega activates! I'll select my Vairon Tetra from the graveyard to be equipped to my Omega!" Regis commanded as the tiny cube formed on the fied again, ascending from the ground as it then joined with Vairon Omega's arm.

"An equip…?" Jack raised an eyebrow. _All of his monsters rely on equipment… if I can manage to stop those equip-abilities, I'll gain victory over Regis in no less than a second._

"I'll activate my face-down card, **King's Roar**! During this turn, I increase the attack power of my Exploder Dragonwing by 1000 by paying 500 Life Points and by skipping my next Battle Phase!" Jack commanded as his dragon roared with great might, and flames erupted from its background!

Exploder Dragonwing: 3400 Attack / 1800 Defense

Jack: 3500

"Oh? Looks like someone has a power complex…" Regis couldn't help but to shake his head and chuckle.

Johnny watched their Duel within the light, as if he were floating in the air. He yelled in surprise, flailing his arms and legs, but noticed that he wasn't falling at all in this new scenery… "Oh…" Johnny sweat dropped, and chuckled, "I ain't gonna fall! Woot!"

"Now my creature overpowers yours! Let's see how well you do!" Jack barked in command.

"Hm, very nice… very nice indeed, Jack Atlas!" Regis laughed before suddenly stopping and turning around with his D-Wheel, watching Jack's reactions now. "Just kidding…" he stated as he revealed a Speed Spell in his hand. "I'll activate the **Speed Spell – Synchro Speeder**!" he laughed as his Extra Deck Zone glowed brightly.

"What the..?" Jack's eyes widened in surprise.

"With this Speed Spell, I decrease all of my Speed Counters to Zero, and then I can't gain anymore Speed Counter for the remainder of the Duel…" his Vairon Omega roared as it glowed brightly. "Next, I choose a Synchro Monster on my Field… and then a Synchro Monster in the Extra Deck with Levels lower than or equal to the one on my field. I halve it's Attack Points and negate it's effects to Special Summon it!" he commanded greatly as his Extra Deck Zone opened, revealing a Synchro Monster.

"Two Synchro Monsters? This… isn't good…" Jack muttered, readying himself for what was coming. _My Exploder Dragonwing should be more than enough to wipe out the monster he's trying to summon…_

"Come, join us on this battle field… **Red Demons Dragon**!" Regis commanded as the field lit ablaze, and revealed the red dragon of destruction, Jack's soul!

"Red Demons Dragon!" Jack repeated in complete surprise. He watched as his Soul Monster roared and stared at Jack with eyes full of nothingness. The dragon clearly had no memories of Jack, for it roared threateningly at him. "Red Demons! It's me, Jack!" Jack barked, but to no avail. The dragon roared again, ignoring what Jack said.

"Painful, isn't it? Your hollow soul… is reflected in this dragon" Regis couldn't help but chuckle at Jack. "This is why humans are so pathetic, so easy to manipulate… That's what fulfills the conditions for Falling" he shook his head, unable to control or hold back his laughter.

"Red Demons… You…" Jack looked at Regis with nothing but pure anger in his purple eyes. "I'll make you pay… I'll make you pay!" he barked loudly.

"Whatever, Jack, it's still my move… Vairon Omega, attack that Exploder Dragonwing!" Regis commanded as the golden machine charged forth towards Jack's dragon. The dragon roared as flames shot out from the ground, almost enveloping the machine completely! But…

"I'll activate my Dragon's effect! I destroy your monster and inflict damage to you equal to it's attack power!" Jack roared in command. "_King Storm_!" he commanded the effect.

"Perfect timing, Jack! I activate my Vairon Omega's effect! When you activate a Monster Effect, I take a single "Vairon" equipped to him… and send it to the graveyard!" the little machine, Vairon Tetra, rose and suddenly shattered amongst the flames of Jack's dragon. "Now… by doing that… I negate **and** destroy your precious Monster!"

"What?" Jack was taken by surprise as lightning shot from the machine, completely destroying his Exploder Dragonwing!

"Since there's no longer a target… Vairon Omega, attack Jack directly!" the machine shot lightning at Jack's D-Wheel, making him scream in pain. "Yes, suffer Jack! Suffer in front of that hollow soul of yours! You know you can't fill that gap with anything, so your Red Demons took on this form to destroy you!" Regis cackled at Jack.

Jack: 300

"Argghh!" Jack yelled as he felt pain from that high-powered attack still, and his D-Wheel almost fell off the edge of the black feather-lined tracks! "I won't… I won't fall!" Jack revved his D-Wheel as he suddenly sprung straight back up, and started to slightly lose control of his D-Wheel. _Wheel of Fortune… you've survived worse than this!_ He revved his D-Wheel again, and it sped forward like a bullet, driving directly behin Regis!

"Hmph, what luck you've got! You almost fell off, and survived by the bare hairs on your chin!" Regis cackled and then looked at Jack seriously. "You see that friend of yours there, right?"

Jack looked at Johnny, seeing that he was in the same world as them, but was floating, not falling.

"That friend of yours… if you happen to lose this Duel while we're here… he'll _die_!" Regis laughed at Jack, seeing the expression of despair on his face.

"How dare you!" Jack barked. "Why drag someone else into this? This is a Duel between me and you, and that's it!"

"You see your Red Demons Dragon? I can finish you off with him right here…" Regis began to chuckle as the dragon roared once more.

"Tch…" Jack cursed under his breath, but Regis just kept on laughing at him.

"Too bad Red Demons Dragon can't attack the same turn that I used Speed Spell – Synchro Speeder…" Regis shrugged, turning his D-Wheel around. "I end my turn, Jackie! Lets see what you've got. Show me this power you claim you have!"

_Turn 4_

_Jack: 800 Life Points | Speed Counters: 5_

_Regis Speed Counters: 4000 Life Points | Speed Counters: 0_

Jack clenched his fists tightly and drew his new card, frowning at the card he drew. _Nothing… nothing I have can stand against his two Synchro Monsters… Red Demons… I'm sorry for being so weak…_ Jack shook his head, looking at his Red Demons Dragon in it's fallen, decrepit form. "I'll set this Monster, and end my turn!"

_Turn 5_

_Jack: Speed Counters: 6_

_Regis: Speed Counters: 0_

"Draw!" Regis drew his new card, and then started laughing at Jack. "Jack, you realize how pathetic you are, right? You fail to understand one thing… You're falling into the despair in your heart, just because you feel disheartened by seeing your soul fight you instead of alongside you!" he couldn't help but to snicker some more.

"Hmph, we'll see who's pathetic by the end of this Duel!" Jack argued back, looking at Red Demons Dragon one more time. _Red Demons… I promise you… you'll return to your majestic form once more…_

"Battle! Vairon Omega, attack that face-down creature! _Heaven's Lightning_!" Regis commanded as lightning struck the face-down card, but it revealed itself to be Dark Resonator, which combated the lightning and survived it with a major scar on it's head!

"Dark Resonator, once per turn, isn't destroyed by battle!" Jack looked at Dark Resonator. _You've been helpful time, and time again… I'll make sure to bring Red Demons back to my side because of you…_

"Red Demons Dragon, finish it! Kill that pathetic Resonator!" Regis laughed as the dragon's claws were lit aflame, and it immediately charged in towards the miniature little demon with resonator forks. The creature growled in pain as the dragon's claws of flame tore through it like paper!

"I'll end my turn on that, Jackie!" Regis laughed once more.

_Turn 6_

Jack: Speed Counters: 7

Regis: Speed Counters: 0

"Red Demons Dragon… give me an answer!" Jack immediately drew his new card, and his eyes slowly peeked at it. _It's… here!_ "Regis!" he barked in command as he revved his D-Wheel once more, and suddenly sped in front of him.

"Eh? So it looks like Jackie-boy's getting faster!" Regis laughed, mocking Jack playfully once again.

"This turn… I'll turn this Duel around! And I'll start with this!" Jack revealed his Spell card. "I activate **Speed Spell – Speed Surrender**!" he commanded as his Life Points suddenly dropped to a steady 400. "I pay half my Life Points while my Speed Counters are at 7 or more… I take one Synchro Monster on your side of the Field, and I've got the perfect one in mind!" he pointed at Red Demons Dragon declaringly.

"Hmph, so you want that decrepit thing? I thought you'd pick the nice, shiny, _powerful _Vairon Omega…" Regis grinned, chuckling as he pointed at his own Synchro Monster.

"No. That's not necessary… I will never betray my soul! Come to me, **Red Demons Dragon**!" Jack commanded as a red aura surrounded his entire body. The aura then stretched out, reaching out to Red Demons Dragon, which made it roar to life once again. It's almost fading color suddenly returned, as if given new life! The dragon's eyes returned to a golden yellow, and it roared mightily as flames surrounded it's entire body!

"Hmph, so it looks like you never gave up on your dragon…" Regis whistled, chuckling. _Damn, boss is gonna hate me for losing that one… Guess I can't hold back…_

"During this turn, the Red Demons Dragon cannot attack…" Jack then revealed a card in his hand. "I activate the effect of my **Create Resonator**! I Special Summon it onto my side of the Field when I have a Synchro Monster!" he commanded as a green-robed demon formed on the field, it's fan spinning on it's back and banging it's resonator forks together.

"A Tuner Monster? Why'd you bother even taking my Red Demons Dragon then?" Regis raised an eyebrow, chuckling.

Create Resonator: 800 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner Monster

"Next, I'll Normal Summon my **Attack Gainer**!" he commanded once more, ignoring Regis' remark at this move he was making. The miniature warrior formed on the field, grunting to life.

Attack Gainer: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner Monster

"Wait… those conditions…" Regis' eyes shot wide in surprise. "Crap! Crap!" he suddenly came to realization what was going to happen, and in his case… it was definitely going to hurt!

"Regis… it's time for you to experience what **real** power is!" Jack roared as the burning red aura around him appeared once again, and his hand lit ablaze as he placed it over his heart. "**Burning Soul**!" he commanded his power as the aura of crimson surrounded the Red Demons Dragon! "I'll Tune the Level 8 Red Demons Dragon, the Level 3 Create Resonator and the Level 1 Attack Gainer, _Double Tuning_!" three rings and a single ring formed, all of them red with crimson flames! The Red Demons Dragon flew towards the lining rings, making it into the center so perfectly! The flame rings then spun and gyrated faster and faster! The dragon roared mightily as Regis cursed under his breath.

"_The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself!_ Synchro Summon! Come Forth, **Scar-Red Nova Dragon**!" Jack chanted mightily as flames completely scattered around the field. A large, red dragon then flew out from the flames, soaring high into the skies as the flames scattered all around, completely dispelling their entire environment with a few wing-beats!

"Whoaaa!" Johnny's eyes widened in joyful glee! "Scar-Red Nova Dragon… it's as awesome as all the magazines said!" his eyes glittered with happiness at witnessing this dragon's summon. _Wow… I wish I had something as awesome as that… Of course it ain't any stronger than my Meteo-Rage Dragon! Heh!_

"Hmph… you've summoned your Ace Monster…" Regis chuckled, face-palming himself and shaking his head. _Damn, boss'll really kill me if I don't get this cleared with…_

Scar-Red Nova Dragon roared mightily as the sky was then turned crimson with his almighty rage!

Scar-Red Nova Dragon: 3500 Attack / 3000 Defense

"Hmph, your creature isn't enough to stop me, realize that, Jack Atlas!" Regis laughed him, grinning as the black feathers that surrounded their Duel weren't burned by the flames touching them.

"Scar-Red Nova Dragon's effect! For every Tuner Monster in the graveyard, he gains 500 Attack Points!" he explained as four orbs of light suddenly ascended from the ground, surrounding Scar-Red Nova Dragon with a great aura of crimson!

Scar-Red Nova Dragon: 5500 Attack / 3000 Defense

"Whoa, holy…!" Regis' eyes widened at the attack power of Scar-Red Nova Dragon! "Sheesh, something that overpowered… no wonder boss told me to not let'im summon that…" he muttered to himself, face-palming again.

"And now, the effect of my Attack Gainer in my graveyard activates! When he's used for a Synchro Summon… I decrease the attack power of your monster by 1000 Attack Points!" Jack commanded as a red aura surrounded the mechanical angel, and it groaned in displeasure as it's attack points literally dropped.

Vairon Omega: 2200 Attack / 1900 Defense

"Tch!" Regis grumbled to himself.

"Scar-Red Nova Dragon, attack his Vairon Omega! _Burning Soul_!" Jack commanded with great pride as his creature dive-bombed towards the mechanical angel, and flames surrounded it's entire body as it then pierced through the armor of the angel, creating a great explosion!

"Gahhhh!" Regis yelled in pain as his D-Wheel fell off balance, spinning around in random circles and crashing hard against the invisible walls of their "Duel Lane"! "Tch… I won't be taken out by a stupid little crash! Boss is going to get _very_ angry if I let you go like that!" muttered under his breath as he then got back on balance, driving forward with a speed that was slower than Jack's.

Regis: 700

"Hmph, you won't win now that my burning soul is right beside me! I'll end my turn!" Jack said with bold confidence, but then…

"Heh…" Regis snickered a little bit. He couldn't help himself, he just kept on snickering and laughing at Jack!

"What's so funny?" Jack demanded, turning his D-Wheel again to observe the look on Regis' face. His eyes widened at the look of bold confidence that was on his face.

"I'm winning the next turn…" Regis showed Jack the card that was now in his hand. "I activate the effect of my **Vairon Perfection**! During the End Phase, when you destroyed a Level 7 or Higher "Vairon" monster… I can Special Summon him from my hand!" he laughed as a large, towering machine took form on the field, beeping with an angelic tone!

Vairon Perfection: 1900 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level: 6 | Tuner Monster

"What kind of…?" Jack's eyes widened at the appearance of the creature.

"Hahahah! It's my turn! During my Draw Phase, the effect of Vairon Perfection activates! Instead of Drawing… I skip it, and add a "Vairon" Monster to my hand!" he swiped a single card from his Deck, and revealed it to Jack. "I'll add **Vairon Soldier** to my hand!" he then slammed the card onto his Duel Disk, without regard for Jack's reactions just yet!

_What is this man planning…_ Jack suddenly realized the Levels of the creatures on Regis' side of the Field! _No… It can't be… A Fallen Angel!_

"Oh god! That thing Yusei got into a fight with!" Johnny's eyes widened in surprise as he remembered the appearance of **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries**!

"Looks like you've figured it out, Jackie! The game's over!" Regis laughed at Jack Atlas as the mechanical angel formed on the field, beeping a heavenly tune like Vairon Perfection! "I'll be Correcting the Level 4 Vairon Soldier and the Level 6 Vairon Perfection!" Regis commanded as the black feathers suddenly started to dance around, floating as they then enveloped the creatures in total darkness. The orb of darkness then split into ten orbs, and the sky slowly darkened as thunder boomed and lightning struck the field!

"Johnny, get out of here, now!" Jack commanded to Johnny.

"Jack, no! I can't just leave you behind!" Johnny argued.

"JUST LEAVE!" Jack barked before raising his thumb. "I'll come back to you… go find Crow in the next town!" he commanded Johnny once more. Johnny swallowed hard, and nodded his head before running away, heading in the direction that Crow was previously.

"_Fallen from the constellation thou were born from, envelope devastation to the world! Make them all your underlings! _Reign, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Cepheus**!" Regis commanded as the black orbs then shot into the sky, creating an artificial night sky. The stars glittered beautifully, and the moon too glittered in it's crescent form. Slowly, a large figure seemed to descend from the sky. It appeared ragged, yet large in appearance. It bore a scepter in one hand, and it's long hair flowed messily. The creature that Regis summoned almost appeared human! The face appeared to be a decrepit old man with red, demonic eyes that looked down on Jack with a high-and-mighty attitude. The man's back suddenly bulged, and wings shot out from his shoulder blades! They were pitch-black with spiked feathers, large and mighty-looking.

"This… is your Fallen Angel…" Jack muttered. He knew very well that these were nothing to sneeze at, so he'd have to fight tactfully.

"Heheh…" Regis grinned with confidence, and his skin turned slightly grayish.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Cepheus: ? Attack / 0 Defense

"Hmph, your creature isn't as tough as you make it sound! It doesn't even have any determined Attack Points!" Jack boasted.

"Oh?" Regis grinned, chuckling a little bit. "Oh no… this creature here is extremely powerful, Jack Atlas…" he couldn't help but laugh at Jack. "I'll activate his effect! _Perfect Domination_!" he commanded as a red wave of static suddenly emitted from the scepter of the Fallen Angel! It shot out to Scar-Red Nova Dragon, making it roar in pain as the red static completely enveloped it!

"Scar-Red!" Jack yelled in worry.

"Now… Your Scar-Red Nova Dragon's abilities are sealed, and no other effects can be activated in response to the activation of Cepheus' effect!" Regis chuckled, watching Scar-Red Nova Dragon squirm.

"Tch…" Jack muttered under his breath.

"Heh, and now for Cepheus' second effect! When he negates an opponent's Monster Effect, he takes that ability for himself!" Regis commanded as Cepheus' body glowed with a mystical yellow light. It banged its scepter against the ground as it's Attack Points rose higher as two orbs of light circled around behind him, revealing the shadows of Vairon Tetra and Vairon Hedron.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Cepheus: 1000 Attack / 0 Defense

"Finally, Cepheus' other Monster effect… _Royal Domination_!" he commanded as Cepheus pointed at Scar-Red Nova Dragon, and suddenly grew taller and taller by the every second!

"What the?" Jack's eyes widened in surprise.

"My Cepheus won't allow a 'stronger' monster to remain on the Field… If you even so much as have a single Monster who is mightier than Cepheus, his Attack Points rise to being equal to your monster's attack power plus another 800!" Regis cackled as his Fallen Angel roared mightily.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Cepheus: 5200 Attack / 0 Defense

"Tch…" Jack cursed under his breath, watching the almighty fallen angel of darkness slowly raise his scepter. He couldn't help but notice the crown on the fallen angel's head. _This whole time… I was fighting… the leader…?_ He looked at Scar-Red Nova Dragon, and then grinned. "It doesn't matter whether or not I lose this Duel to you! No matter what, I've won! I fought along with my soul for the last time, that's all my pride ever wanted!" Jack barked as the creature slowly brought the scepter down, and Scar-Red Nova Dragon roared as it then flew towards the scepter, flames enveloping its entire body. "_Burning Soul_!" Jack commanded as his dragon spun in circles, roaring once again as the flames hissed.

"Fallen Angel of the Stars – Cepheus, finish him off! _Dominate Strike_!" Regis laughed as Jack as his creature quickly swung the scepter down on Scar-Red Nova Dragon, literally slashing it in half as it exploded awesomely! "You're a fool to think those kind of thoughts… a king doesn't need soulful attachments to his subject, Jack Atlas! This is why… you were never going to be King! Why? Because… _I_ am the King!" he laughed mightily at Jack as his Life Points suddenly hit 0.

Jack: 0

"Ahhhh!" Jack yelled in sheer pain as his D-Wheel completely spun out of control, and a portal suddenly formed in the middle of the Field.

Johnny paused, feeling the Wings of the Crimson Dragon Birthmark suddenly burn him from where he stood! "Ack! Stupid thing's already burnin' me all over again!" he stopped his complaint as he heard the faint cries of Scar-Red Nova Dragon. _Jack… you idiot, you lost… didn't you?_

"Heh… looks like it's all done for me…" Jack chuckled a little to himself, reaching out to his Red Demons Dragon card. _I've had you alongside me one last time… My hollow soul… is finally complete… Despite these conditions… I'm glad we fought again…_ His D-Wheel entered the black portal, and it suddenly closed as the Fallen Angel then vanished.

"Hmph…" Regis crossed his arms, his D-Wheel at a sudden stop. "Tch, oh well… too easy of a Duel" he spat in remark before suddenly vanishing in darkness.

Johnny clenched his fists, turning away from the direction where Jack was Dueling. _Jack… I dunno how… but… I'll avenge ya… no matter how I've gotta do it!_ He started to walk away, but slowly, as if there were a huge weight on his shoulders.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about the previous chapter. I originally intended to call Rose "Anna", but then I was convinced that there are too many A's roaming around. So I switched her name to Rose, but on a few documents, I forgot to change the name. Please, mind you, the chapter is still the same, the name "Anna" was just changed to "Rose" for selective difference.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, please be well-aware of it. This is only a FanFiction that sucks worse than the actual anime. The actual anime's a badass. ^^;


	13. Clear Mind!

Yusei's eyes finally opened along with a side-helping of him groaning as he was getting back up. "Where am I…?" he muttered, looking to see Arianna who didn't seem to notice his awakening. She seemed to be checking something on her arm, as if picking at it.

"Seriously, what is this…?" Arianna kept poking at it, and then tracing along the lines of the crimson marking on her arm. "I don't remember this being here…" she muttered as her finger traced along the lines of it. It glowed slightly.

_The Hand of the Crimson Dragon!_ Yusei's eyes widened as his Head of the Crimson Dragon birthmark began to flare to life!

"Whoa!" Arianna finally saw the awakened Yusei through the mirror in his room, and turned around, seeing his arm glow too! "Whoa! You've gotta warn people when you wake up!" she scolded before sweat dropping embarrassedly.

"Yusei!" Crow barged into the room with a happy grin on his face. He paused when he noticed the awkward moment between Yusei and Arianna. He looked at the two, left and right, left and right. He couldn't do anything else but step back out of the room, and close the door. Silence befell between Yusei and Arianna before Crow barged in again. "YOU'RE A SIGNER?" he pointed at Arianna's right arm.

"Um… wha?" she raised an eyebrow, unsure of what a 'Signer' even was.

Yusei struggled back onto his feet, and looked at Arianna dead-straight in the eyes. "You've got to come with me… I'll explain on the way…" he struggled to say.

"Uh, no, I'm still on the job, kid. I can't just suddenly let a patient out, and then abandon my temporary post" Arianna crossed her arms with a frown.

"Oh come on! It's something beyond your understanding, we've gotta come together!" Crow said to Arianna.

She sighed and crossed her arms, looking at the birthmark on her. _Fine… whatever…_ She frowned, "So long as I get an explanation of what's going on…"

* * *

Soon enough, the three arrived outside of the city, with Arianna slightly caught up on the business of the Crimson Dragon. Of course, she outright refused to believe something so outrageous, but they managed to convince her that she should keep a watch on future events that would unfold. If anything, she'd come to learn of the Crimson Dragon's powers, and learn that she is only a gear to the large wheel of destiny that spun eternally. The three walked, finally done with the explanation of the Crimson Dragon, slowly coming to a halt.

"You understand now, that the Crimson Dragon will be guiding us, right?" Yusei asked, raising an eyebrow. Usually, anybody who was outside of the Signers never understood half of anything that was happening, but Arianna tried her best to just swallow the large pill of information and maintain some sort of understanding.

"Um… yeah" Arianna replied. She shifted her medical bag, prepping it for any future wounds. She didn't believe that Yusei was just alright in no less than a day, so she had to keep wary of him, in case those wounds would open up all over again. _Don't die on us. You're the Head of the Crimson Dragon, right? You better not die and leave us leaderless, if we're supposed to be a group!_

"Yusei Fudo!" a voice called out, and a sudden gust of wind surged forth at Yusei. Yusei paused and looked in the direction of the wind, seeing a cloaked teenage girl who stared at him with crystal blue eyes. "Yusei Fudo… fate has assigned me the task to erase you. It's my only way of making Keith regain peace after death!" Rose called out, raising her Duel Disk.

"Tch, don't worry Yusei, I've go—" Yusei placed an arm in front of Crow. He nodded at Crow with a frown, and then looked at Rose.

"Sorry, but we don't have the time for thi—" Yusei avoided a large stone being hurled at his head by the wind!

"Don't worry, Yusei Fudo… that's the warning shot. Next time, you'll see that rock replace your friends' heads" Rose spat, her arms crossed.

"Why are you doing this?" Crow asked.

Arianna gulped, looking at Rose's crystal blue eyes. She shivered, feeling a horrible, cold feeling within her eyes. _Something's… not right with her… as if she rejected her humanity…_

"Fine then…" Yusei raised his Duel Disk, struggling a little bit. _It looks like my wounds from my fight with Akiza haven't fully healed yet…_ The Head of the Crimson Dragon mark suddenly pulsed with a slight bit of pain, and he looked at it. _It seems like this is a fight the Crimson Dragon feels is important…_ He nodded with that assumption, and watched Rose walk closer to him, until the two were finally at an even distance from one another.

"Duel!" both Yusei and Rose commanded as their Duel Disks activated and their Decks shuffled automatically.

"Yusei, you should leave this to me. You know that you're wou—"

"It'll be alright, Crow. I'll protect you guys from harm…" Yusei said with a brave voice, and an iron resolve. "I refuse to let you guys get hurt… I won't let another tragedy happen…" he then looked at Rose with his navy blue eyes. "You… I won't let you hurt my friends. I'll end this quick, so we can head back to Jack and Johnny."

"I don't care, Yusei Fudo. All I know is, I have to kill you to achieve my destiny, all else doesn't matter!" Rose yelled as she drew her opening hand of five cards, and Yusei did as well.

_Turn 1_

Rose: 4000

Yusei: 4000

"The first turn's mine, draw!" Rose drew her new card, and couldn't help but to chuckle. "This hand… will lead to your end, Yusei!" she slammed a card onto her Duel Disk. "I play **Dark World Dealings**. We draw one card, and then discard one! So go ahead, draw your pathetic card!"

Yusei raised an eyebrow at that very first move. _Draw one and then discard one? Wouldn't that make drawing almost pointless?_ He drew his new card, and smiled at it. "I'll discard the card I just drew" Yusei ditched it into the graveyard.

"Draw!" Rose drew her card, and smirked at it. _Perfect._ She discarded it, and her graveyard seemed like it pulsated the moment the card entered the graveyard.

_She's smirking at this move of hers. Did she draw the cards she needed for this turn?_ Yusei stood his ground, ready for her move. He remembered that she was a Psychic, so he couldn't afford to be caught off-guard.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of my grave-bound**Fabled Kushano**!" Rose commanded as her graveyard glowed brightly with a shining, mystical light. Giggling could be heard as a black robed demon appeared from the graveyard, wearing a pair of strange glasses with a book under its arm. It reached over to Rose's hand, carefully grabbing a card in her hand.

"A graveyard activation?" Yusei muttered more to himself than anything else. _Fabled? I've never heard of these monsters…_

"Through Fabled Kushano's effect, I'll discard my lowly **Fabled Soulkius** in order to add him to my hand!" Rose instructed as a shadowy figure entered into her graveyard, and Fabled Kushano giggled as he then went to her hand.

"Since that was the card you discarded, I guess you needed it in your graveyard, right?" Yusei asked, somewhat understanding her move. He was far-off from knowing what her move comprised of, so he was shooting blindly in the darkness until he could figure it out.

"Heh… a dead man doesn't need to know anything, got it, Yusei Fudo?" Rose spat as she took two cards out of her hand and sent them into the graveyard. "The effect of **Fabled Soulkius** activates at this time! I'll take two cards in my hand to Special Summon him!" she commanded as a portal of light opened up from her graveyard. Rising from the portal, a large, muscular demon slowly escaped from its prison. It wore a tight black shirt and pants, and had a devilish grin on its face that would scare even the strongest of adults.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"Wait, that's the monster you discarded!" Yusei was now surprised.

"Yes, Yusei, you're so observant!" Rose laughed as she revealed a card in her hand. "I use my Fabled Kushano's effect in the graveyard!"

"How'd he even get into the graveyard?" Yusei raised an eyebrow.

"I decided it'd be fun to ditch him for my Fabled Soulkius, idiot. You should know that I have no tolerance for stupidity, Yusei Fudo" Rose spat, looking at Yusei's navy blue eyes with nothing but raw disgust. _Those eyes… the eyes of someone willing to protect his friends… I hate them so much… Those things... those people… are disgusting…_ "Now, I'll discard **The Fabled Cerburrel** in order to bring him back to my hand!" she commanded as the glasses-wearing demon appeared again, switching places with the card she chose to discard.

"The Fabled Cerburrel you say? That card…" Yusei suddenly remembered Johnny's Duel with Gerardo, when he used The Fabled Cerburrel to feed his strategy. "A Synchro Summon!" Yusei automatically declared.

"Aw, so the worm can actually _think_ a few steps ahead?" Rose laughed as flames appeared in the middle of her Field. "During the time when The Fabled Cerburrel is discarded… I Special Summon it right onto the Field!" the flames gave birth to a three-headed dog that barked mightily despite it's cute little size.

The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"Now, Yusei Fudo, prepare to meet your maker! I'll Tune the Level 6 Fabled Soulkius to my Level 2 The Fabled Cerburrel!" she commanded as her three-headed creature roared and shattered into two green rings. Fabled Soulkius roared mightily as well as his body split into six orbs of black light. The two rings surrounded the six orbs of dark light. "_My flames of hate arise here before us! Wipe out those who stand in my way with your creation-shaking flames!_" she chanted with might as a portal of darkness opened up between Yusei and Rose.

_Ace Monster?_ Yusei bit his bottom lip for a second. He knew this wouldn't be an easy Duel, but Summoning her Ace Monster right off the bat was just making this more difficult than ever.

"Escape, **Hellfire Dragon**!" Rose commanded as the darkness gave birth to a long-bodied creature that sluggishly flew out from the portal, as if escaping from it's unholy prison. The monster seemed to have rotting, ragged wings with black scales covering most of it's body. The creature had mighty claws of black that matched it's scales. Several scales seemed to have a lighter gray color. The creature's tail seemed to be axe-like at the very end! The portal finally closed, and the dragon stood on it's two feet with long arms that seemed as long as it's very wings! The dragon finally opened it's eyes, revealing yellow eyes with a single slit down the middle. It roared mightily as black flames erupted from the ground, covering its entire body!

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Th-that's… your dragon…?" Yusei muttered as his Head of the Crimson Dragon birthmark suddenly flared to life, along with Rose's Tail of the Crimson Dragon Mark! "Wait… you're a Signer?" Yusei's eyes shot open in surprise.

"A Signer? What the hell's that supposed to be?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at her birthmark.

"That mark, you're not supposed to be fighting me! In fact, you're supposed to be on my side! We shouldn't even be fighting one another…!" Yusei tried to reason with her now. A Signer wasn't supposed to fight another Signer, because the pain from each other's battle would result in the two feeling a burning pain like it was a punishment from the Crimson Dragon.

"Hmph…" Rose crossed her arms. "I'll never… side with weaklings! This mark isn't a mark of justice, this mark on my arm… It's a mark of my darkest dream! This mark was given to me the day Keith died… this mark… is a symbol of my revenge!" she yelled at Yusei with pure passion as her dragon roared mightily! Black flames surrounded her entire body as she clenched her fists tightly. "And the only way I can satisfy Keith… is by avenging him… The only way for that… is to kill you, Yusei Fudo!" Rose declared as she pointed at Yusei. "I end my turn!"

_Turn 2_

"Revenge…?" Yusei couldn't help but to repeat that word, especially since someone else he knew was spewing words of revenge from their mouth.

"Yes, revenge, Yusei Fudo… According to Levis, if I can take you out, Keith's soul will finally be at rest! I'll do anything to avenge that man… even if it means following this path of blood forever!" she barked at him.

"Levis? I don't know who he is, but he'd blinded you! We're Signers, we're bound to the same destiny!" Yusei tried to reason with her.

"Enough, Yusei Fudo! It's your turn now, so get to it!" Rose clenched her fists tightly, her crystalline eyes flaring with nothing more than rage.

"My turn!" Yusei drew his new card, and nodded his head at it. "First, I'll send a Monster from my hand to the graveyard…" he did that as he instructed what he was doing. "In order to Special Summon my **Quickdraw Synchron**!" he commanded as the miniature, cowboy-guised machine appeared onto the field, readying itself to grab it's guns.

Quickdraw Synchron: 700 Attack / 1400 Defense

"Hmph, how pathetic, Yusei Fudo! What's next, you're gonna Normal Summon another weakling?" Rose crossed her arms in disgust of Yusei's summoned Monster.

"No. I'll activate the effect of my **Level Eater** in the graveyard! By lowering the Level of my Quickdraw Synchron by 1, he can be Special Summoned!" Yusei smiled as his graveyard glowed brightly.

"Oh?" Rose raised an eyebrow, recognizing the monster. "Hmph, your move is pointless anyway" she sighed and crossed her arms again.

"I'll Tune the Level 1 Level Eater to my Level 4 Quickdraw Synchron! _Clustering wishes call upon a stronger force! Become the path its light shines upon! _Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself…" one orb of light aligned itself with four rings of green.

"Oh? A Synchro Summon as well?" She raised her eyebrow in bare interest.

"Yeah, Yusei! Take her down!" Crow cheered, grinning at Yusei's move.

"Reveal yourself, **Junk Warrior**!" Yusei commanded as the light exploded, revealing a blue-armored warrior with its eyes glowing red. The warrior with one large fist roared as it then took fight stance. Yusei smiled, looking at one of his game-breaking cards with that classic smile.

Junk Warrior: 2300 Attack / 1300 Defense

"I'll activate the effect of Junk Warrior, and then…" Yusei revealed a card in his hand. "I'll activate the effect of my **Strength Warrior**! When I Synchro Summon a Warrior-Type Monster successfully Synchro Summoned, he's Special Summoned onto the Field!" he summoned the warrior that was now shaded in blue. The warrior had long hair, slight muscles, and a few antennas all over it's body.

Strength Warrior: 400 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner Monster

"Hmph, if all you can do is Summon pathetic Monsters, then you're going to die and burn in hell along with your weakling creatures!" Rose barked at Yusei.

"Oh well… now my Junk Warrior's effect finally goes off! He gains Attack Points Equal to Level 2 or Lower Monsters on my Side of the Field! So, he'll gain 400 Attack Points from Strength Warrior!"

Junk Warrior: 2700 Attack / 1300 Defense

The Warrior's eyes glowed crimson as it bumped its fists together and roared mightily as it's attack power rose higher.

"Whatever…" Rose spat in disgust. "Weaklings trying to give power to other weaklings? How pathetic…"

"I'll activate my Strength Warrior's effect! I get to make an opponent's Monster's Attack Points decrease by 300! I'll pick your Hellfire Dragon!" Yusei commanded as tubules suddenly shot forth from Strength Warrior, all of them flying at Hellfire Dragon!

"Hehehe…" Rose couldn't help but to laugh a little bit. "Hahahaha!" she laughed as if Yusei's attempt to win were nothing more than a joke. "Sorry, Yusei Fudo, but it looks like… you messed up your move!" Hellfire Dragon roared mightily as the tubules came near it. It lashed out at the tubules, completely shattering them, and then flying at the Strength Warrior as it ripped the tubules straight out of it's body, making the warrior scream painfully!

"How's that possible?" Yusei was astonished at the display of violence that her dragon showed in response to Strength Warrior.

"When an opponent's card effect targets my own monster… That effect is negated and destroyed!" Rose explained with a calm smirk on her face.

"Oh well… a futile attempt, Yusei Fudo!" Rose crossed her arms.

Yusei bit his bottom lip, unsure of whether or not to ram his monster into Rose's. But he knew that by doing that, he'd be rendered defenseless! _What should I do…?_ He looked at the three cards in his hand. "I'll use Level Eater's Monster effect! I'll take a Level out of Junk Warrior to Special Summon it!" the Lady Bug suddenly flew through Yusei's Junk Warrior, making it grunt as the ladybug then changed to a blue color.

Level Eater: 0 Defense / 600 Attack

"I'll set two cards face-down, and end my turn!" Yusei explained.

_Turn 3_

"Looks like it's my move, you fool!" Rose drew her new card, smirking and laughing at Yusei once again. "Once more Yusei, you fail to understand… You should've destroyed my dragon along with your warrior, because you wouldn't be suffering what I'm about to do to you!" she revealed a card in her hand. "I'll send my **Fabled Kushano** and **Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress** to the graveyard to Special Summon my **Fabled Soulkius** straight out from the graveyard!" she commanded with great authority as the cards were sent into the graveyard, creating a portal of light in her discard pile. "Come back, loyal servant, **Fabled Soulkius**!" she commanded as the muscular demon arose from his burial place, roaring with great might as it flexed its muscles and flapped its wings.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense

_That Monster again? It looks like it can be infinitely Special Summoned, so long as she has two cards in her hand…_ Yusei noted to himself the effects of the monsters she was currently using.

"Now, for the best part… my flames of revenge, my chilling flames of anger! Be fed by the souls of despair, be fed by the demons of the night!" Rose commanded as Fabled Soulkius glowed with a bright aura, and Hellfire Dragon roared, absorbing the light into its body!

"What are you doing…?" Yusei asked, eyes wide in complete confusion. _That dragon… has another effect?_

"When a Fiend is Special Summon from the graveyard… my Hellfire Dragon powers up by 200 Attack Points!" Rose smiled psychotically. She seemed clinically insane from just that smile as black flames spiraled around her dragon, and it roared with even greater might as it's attack power rose!

Hellfire Dragon: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense

"It powers up infinitely?" Yusei's eyes widened in complete disbelief. _That's… that's a powerful effect!_ He cursed under his breath for a second. Now he was left to mystery, since now he knew there were more effects on the dragon of Rose's.

"What the? That thing powers up…? Yusei, you gotta be careful!" Crow yelled at Yusei.

"That's…" Arianna gulped, looking at the evil, dark aura around the Hellfire Dragon as the black flames surrounded it entirely. "It's… so horrible…" she whispered, closing her eyes tightly, wishing she had never seen that monster.

"Hahaha! I hope you rot in hell when you die in this Duel, Yusei Fudo! Rose laughed as she revealed one of the two cards left in her hand. "Now, I'll Normal Summon my **Fabled Raven**!" the small, humanoid-looking demon formed on the Field, roaring mightily as it's claws glowed a blood red. "I'll activate the effect of my grave-bound **Fabled Kushano**! I'll discard the lowly **The** **Fabled Ganashia** in order to bring him into my hand!" she added the card to her hand, and her graveyard glowed with an almighty light.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense

"When The Fabled Ganashia is discarded… I Special Summon it from the graveyard with a 200 Attack Point Boost!" she commanded as the small, malevolent elephant appeared on the Field, looking like a tyrant as it roared with great might!

The Fabled Ganashia: 1800 Attack / 1000 Defense

"I'll use Tune the Level 6 Fabled Soulkius to my Level 2 Fabled Raven!" Rose commanded as two rings of light surrounded six orbs of light that aligned in a perfect line. "_Hatred, arise here in the form of a demon! Become the servant of the devil!_ Synchro Summon! Appear before us, **Fabled Valkyrus**!" Rose screamed in command as the light exploded, creating a portal for a dark-armored demon to rise from the depths of the earth. The demon had a great smirk on its face, and a goatee that matched it's expression well. It's claws fingers clenched together into a fist as light came from it's body.

Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 1700 Defense

"Trap Card open! **Slip Summon**!" Yusei commanded as his face-down flung open. During the turn you Summoned a Monster, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Monster in my hand! I Summon **Shield Wing**!" he commanded as the winged-beast growled mightily, appearing in Defense Position.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter, Yusei Fudo! My Dragon powers up once more! Feed your chilling flames of hatred to my soul!" Rose commanded as the light from Fabled Valkyrus was absorbed, and her dragon roared once again as its aura grew even darker, and more flames began to spew from the ground underneath it!

"This is where your Life Points will fall, Yusei Fudo!" Rose laughed as she revealed her Fabled Kushano. "I'll use Fabled Valkyrus' Monster Effect! I'll discard a single Fiend-Type Monster in my hand in order to draw one card!" she explained as she placed Fabled Kushano into her discard pile. Then, she drew a new card from the top of her deck grinning and laughing loudly. "Now, I activate the effect of my grave-bound Fabled Kushano!" her graveyard suddenly flared to life as the image of the fallen demon appeared once more, grinning and pushing his glasses up his face.

"That Monster's effect… An effect that doesn't stop!" Yusei understood finally. _So long as she gets a Fabled in her hand, that monster's effect will activate… That thing is the key to her strategy!_

"Hahahaha!" Rose laughed as she revealed the card she was discarding. "I'll discard the lowly little **Fabled Krus** in order to use Fabled Kushano's effect!" the Kushano's image laughed as he swiped the card out of her hand, and placed it into the graveyard. The image of a fallen demon that appeared to be crying appeared, sobbing and sobbing as it entered the discard pile. "Now I add him back to my hand!" she swapped that card for her Fabled Kushano.

_There's almost no way to keep track of where that monster is, even if I had the chance to take it out of play…_ Yusei looked at his Deck. Somewhere in that pile of cards would be the answer to winning this Duel!

"Praying for a miracle, Yusei Fudo? HAHAHA! What a foolish thing to do! This is why… I hate pathetic weaklings like you!" Rose yelled as her graveyard flared to life with yet another bright light! Fabled Valkyrus suddenly started to laugh, as if he were laughing at Yusei!

"What the?" Yusei's eyes shot open.

"Fabled Krus' effect… when she's discarded, I Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Fabled in my graveyard, except for her… I'll Special Summon my **Fabled Raven** from the graveyard!" she commanded as the laughing, bald-headed demon jumped out from the discard pile. The creature's red nails glowed a bright crimson as it laughed!

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"That Monster… it's a Tuner!" Yusei muttered in surprise, remembering the movement she made in order to Summon that Fabled Valkyrus!

"Now then, Yusei Fudo… prepared to feel the fear?" Rose licked her lips as the black flames suddenly surrounded her in a circle. Light surrounded the Fabled Raven as Hellfire Dragon absorbed it into its body, and roared mightily as the black flames around its body began to intensify greatly!

Hellfire Dragon: 3100 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now, I'll Tune the Level 3 The Fabled Ganashia to my Level 2 Fabled Raven!" she commanded as two rings encircled three orbs of ghostly-looking light! "When The Fabled Ganashia is taken away from the Field, he's removed from play…" she added on as the light exploded suddenly. "_Born from the depths of hell, rise again, oh greedy one!_ Synchro Summon! Revive, **Fabled Ragin**!

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense

"I'll activate his effect, as well as my Hellfire Dragon's effect! Increase in your strength, my flames of revenge!" she commanded mightily as the flames intensified instantly, making Yusei sweat a little bit.

_Things are getting a little too real now… If I can't finish this Duel quick, the flames are gonna hurt my friends if they continue spreading…_Yusei noticed that Crow and Arianna both moved back from the flames as they were suddenly creeping closer and closer to them.

Hellfire Dragon: 3300 Attack / 2000 Defense

"It's over for you, Yusei Fudo!" she laughed as she pointed at Fabled Ragin. "His effect activates! When I Syncro Summon him successfully… I draw until I hold two cards in my hand!"

"Two?" Yusei repeated, remembering her Fabled Soulkius!

"Hahahaha! That's right, Yusei Fudo!" she drew her new card, looking at it with a laugh. "How nice!" she sent them into her discard pile. "I activate my **Fabled Soulkius**' Monster Effect! I send two cards in my hand to the graveyard in order to Special Summon him from the graveyard!" her graveyard suddenly shone to life once more.

_All these graveyard activations…_ Yusei nodded, taking note of what was going on.

"Be Reborn, **Fabled Soulkius**!" Rose commanded mightily as a portal of light appeared, and the large demon flew out from it, roaring mightily as it flexed its muscles.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Power up, my soul of hatred!" Rose commanded once more.

Hellfire Dragon: 3500 Attack / 2000 Defense

"It's over, Yusei Fudo! Die with your puny Defending Monsters!" she commanded as she pointed at the Junk Warrior. "Hellfire Dragon, attack it!" she commanded as the dragon opened it's mouth, releasing a charge of concentrated black flames onto Yusei's field! The black flames completely surrounded Junk Warrior, making it roar unfortunately as it then exploded within the flames!

"AHHH!" Yusei yelled as the black flames suddenly started to attack him, burning several bits and pieces of his clothing!

Yusei: 3600

_Despite that it was minimal damage… that was an extremely painful attack! So this is… her Signer Dragon…_ Yusei looked at the sky, noticing that storm clouds were approaching them. _The curse for two Signers fighting one another at full power…_ He swallowed, and then looked at Rose once more.

"Fabled Soulkius, attack the Shield Wing!" Rose commanded as the muscular demon soared into the sky, and then dive-bombed towards Shield Wing!

"Sorry, but twice per turn, Shield Wing cannot be destroyed by battle!" Yusei commanded as Shield Wing blocked off the sudden attack coming at it! The bird suddenly squawked and returned to its defending position.

"Hmph, I've still got two more attacks! Fabled Ragin, attack! _Golden Cutter_!" Rose instructed her creature as it then flew towards the little winged creature, its golden claws glowing mightily as it then brought down the claws on Shield Wing, making it screech painfully once again!

"I'm sorry, Shield Wing…" Yusei said, watching his monster take on the attacks painfully, but faithfully. The Shield Wing then returned to its original position, both of its white wings suddenly darkened. _This is the last attack Shield Wing can take!_

"Hang in there, Yusei! You're not gonna lose this turn!" Crow cheered, raising his fist towards the sky.

Yusei smiled and nodded at Crow.

"Hmph! Weaklings cheering on other weaklings… this is why the world can burn in hell! Nobody can stand on their own two feet!" Rose yelled as her Fabled Valkyrus took on fight stance, raising its sharp claws. "Fabled Valkyrus, attack that annoying little Shield Wing! _Black Crush_!" she commanded the black-armored demon. It roared and then jumped, landing in front of Shield Wing. Fabled Valkyrus began to laugh loudly as it then began slashing Shield Wing with its claws to end Yusei's only defense! The Shield Wing screeched as it then shattered into tiny pixels.

Yusei looked at his destroyed Shield Wing, and nodded his head at it. _Thanks, Shield Wing…_ He looked up at the black sky, witnessing that the storm clouds now brewed with several crimson lightning shots. The lightning stitched across the sky, and descended upon the two, crashing between them!

"Hmph, so it looks like fate _does_ demand that I kill you in order to gain my vengeance! I was right all along!" Rose smirked as she ceased her turn.

_Turn 4_

Yusei: 3600 Life Points

Rose: 4000 Life Points

"Crimson Dragon…" Yusei muttered, watching the red lightning bolts stitch across the sky. The rumblings of an upcoming storm, the claps of ungodly might! He watched the darkened heavens grow darker and heard their screams. He knew what was coming.

"It's your turn, Yusei Fudo! Now make it!" Rose barked, ignoring all the sounds of thunder and the crimson lightning that struck the ground several times. Suddenly, she froze when the cries of a strange creature rang about.

Crow looked around, hearing the strange cries as well, and watching the crimson lightning.

"Ack!" Arianna cried in pain as her Signer birthmark glowed brightly, revealing the Foot of the Crimson Dragon.

"What the?" Rose flinched as her birthmark began to burn her suddenly. "It's… burning… my blood's boiling too…" she paused, feeling her birthmark burn further on.

"We can't continue this fight, Rose, the Crimson Dragon's going to punish us for this!" Yusei argued, now trying to reason with her on their ties by the Crimson Dragon.

"Don't… screw with me!" Rose yelled as her Hellfire Dragon roared mightily once again, black flames beginning to dance dangerously and creeping outwards to Crow and Arianna! The two managed to back themselves further away, heading towards higher ground.

The lightning finally ceased, if only for a minute. A crimson energy suddenly descended between the two, taking on a long, serpentine-like form with claws, feet, and a spiked tail. Suddenly, the head formed, creating what appeared to be a dragon made of crimson energy with yellow eyes that showed authority.

"C-Crimson Dragon!" Yusei's eyes widened.

"The Crimson Dragon!" Crow was surprised at the sudden descending of the creature!

"Crimson… Dragon…?" Arianna questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmph, so I guess that's the only monster you've got left? Interesting, Yusei Fudo!" Rose laughed at it.

"This isn't part of the Duel, Rose… This is the creature that commands authority over us" Yusei explained, looking at his Head of the Crimson Dragon birthmark, and watched it pulse slightly. It felt as if it had it's own pulse, and it's glowing intensified a little bit.

"Don't screw around with me, Yusei Fudo! We're not bound by anything, not these stupid little 'bonds' you keep talking about! I'm not your friend. I'm _no one's_ friend at all! I hate all of you… you can all just die!" Rose's psychic powers suddenly flared to life, releasing multiple shockwaves into the air that made Yusei stand his ground as best as he could.

The Crimson Dragon roared mightily, feeling the power of Rose's psychic abilities as it then flew towards Yusei, encircling him several times. The Crimson Dragon cried out as it then continued spinning around Yusei.

"Hmph, protect him as much as you want… I don't care… I'm only here to kill!" Rose yelled out in disgust of that sight.

The Crimson Dragon roared once again as a fraction of its body suddenly shot out towards Yusei's right arm, onto his Head of the Crimson Dragon birthmark! The birthmark glowed as a crimson card appeared in his hand, and the energy suddenly flared all around him, creating an aura of crimson! The dragon slowly disappeared, and Yusei closed his eyes calmly.

He didn't panic at what the dragon was doing, he trusted that it wouldn't kill him or anything of the sort. He suddenly heard familiar cries, and the Crimson Dragon finally faded away. The glowing aura of crimson that enveloped Yusei, as if it were part of his being, slowly changed hues, becoming lighter and lighter. Soon, it reached a pink shade, and continued to grow lighter and lighter, as well as the card in his hand. _Crimson Dragon… what did you give me…?_ The cries of another dragon could be heard in Yusei's mind, and his aura suddenly turned a brilliant white, along with the card in his hand! Yusei looked at it, and heard the cries of that dragon once again, nodding his head as he placed the card into his Extra Deck. _It's great to have you here and now… Thank you, Crimson Dragon. I won't let that happen, not ever again!_

"It's your turn, Yusei Fudo! Now lets get to it!" Rose barked, finally having lost patience for Yusei.

"My turn!" Yusei drew his new card, and smiled at it. "First, I'll summon **Debris Dragon**!" he commanded as the short dragon appeared on the field, and it's hand pulsed several times. "When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Monster with 500 or Less Attack Points to my side of the Field… I'll pick my **Shield Wing**!" he commanded as a portal opened from the dragon's hand, and out flew the winged beast that Rose destroyed earlier!

Debris Dragon: 1000 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

Shield Wing: 0 Attack / 900 Defense | Level 2

"Hmph, Special Summoning weaklings I've already destroyed. How pointless, Yusei Fudo!" Rose commented and spat on the ground.

"I'll activate the effect of my **Quillbolt Hedgehog** in the graveyard!" Yusei commanded as his discard pile shone brightly.

"Wait… when did that thing ever get into the graveyard?" Rose miscalculated. She didn't know Yusei even had a move to pull off!

A hedgehog appeared with multiple screws and bolts in its back, squeaking as if it were a mighty force to be reckoned with!

Quillbolt Hedgehog: 800 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 2

"I believe in our friendship, and I'll help you know how to believe in friendship… Our bonds are strong, they won't be destroyed by anything!" Yusei clenched his fists as he then pointed at the monsters on his field. "I'll tune the Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog, my Level 2 Shield Wing to the Level 4 Tuner Monster, Debris Dragon!" he commanded as four rings suddenly burst from Debris Dragon's body, and two orbs of light came from Quillbolt Hedgehog and Shield Wing's bodies.

"A Synchro Summon?" Rose cursed under her breath. She didn't expect some kind of comeback move from Yusei, seeing as she took out his defenses without any bit of remorse.

"_Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path it's light shines upon!_" he commanded as the light then exploded. "Take Flight…" the light slowly faded, revealing a white dragon with a blue chest, and a cry that seemed familiar to Crow, making him smile in approval. "**Stardust Dragon**!" he commanded as his ace dragon took to the skies, roaring mightily as it appeared once more.

Stardust Dragon: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Welcome back, Stardust!" Yusei smiled at it, while Rose stared at it with utter disgust.

"That Monster… that thing's form… It disgusts me… That's your ace Monster? It's barely anywhere close to my dragon's strength!" Rose shouted, clenching her fists tightly.

"It isn't over yet! I'll activate the effect of **Strength Warrior** in the graveyard!" Yusei commanded as the tubule-bearing warrior appeared once more, this time in a very ghostly figure. "Through his effect, I remove from play a Level 1 Monster in my graveyard to Special Summon him as a Level 1 Tuner Monster when I successfully Synchro Summon!" Yusei instructed as Level Eater was taken into a different dimension, and Strength Warrior then came to full-being, roaring weakly.

Strength Warrior: 800 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner Monster

"Next, I'll activate the effect of my **Turbo Booster** in my hand! When I've already Normal Summoned this turn, I can Special Summon him from my hand!" he slammed the card onto his Duel Disk, and a tiny machine formed, roaring weakly as it was then shaded in blue.

Turbo Booster: 0 Defense / 0 Attack

"Hmph, another Tuner Monster and yet another weakling, I've been expecting all the same from you, Yusei Fudo!" Rose spat, still disgusted at the form of Stardust Dragon.

"Heh…" Yusei smiled. It was almost as if he knew something that Rose didn't know. "I'll activate the effect of my **Strength Warrior**! Once per turn, I decrease the opponent's Monster's attack points by 400!" he commanded as tubules shot at Hellfire Dragon, but—

"Hmph! Your shrewd tricks won't work on my soul, Yusei Fudo! Hellfire Dragon's monster effect now activates! When the opponent's card effect targets it… They are negated and destroyed!"

"Stardust Dragon's effect also activates!" Yusei commanded as his dragon stepped forward, and Hellfire Dragon lunged towards the Strength Warrior's tubules. "When the opponent activates an effect that would destroy a card(s) on the Field… Stardust negates and destroys it!"

"What the?"

"Go! _Victim Sanctuary_!" Yusei commanded as Stardust Dragon shattered into tiny specks of dust, scattering all around the Hellfire Dragon. Hellfire Dragon screeched in pain as the dust then gyrated around it, spinning faster and faster as the dust then crunched into it's scales. The dragon roared once again, painfully coming to a halt.

"Hellfire Dragon!" Rose shouted as the dust completely shattered her monster to little pixels, leaving nothing left. The black flames surrounding her then vanished, along with her dragon. She clenched her fists tightly, witnessing the destruction of her soul.

"I'll Tune the Level 1 Turbo Booster to my Level 1 Strength Warrior! _Clustering stars find speed's new horizon! Become the path it's light shines upon!_ Synchro Summon! The Power of Hope, Synchro Tuner, **Formula Synchron**!" Yusei commanded as a racecar-shaped machine entered the field, revving it's engines mightily.

Formula Synchron: 200 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 2 | Synchro-Tuner

"Formula Synchron's effect now activates! Once per turn, I draw one card!" Yusei drew his new card, and set it into his Spell/Trap Zone. "I'll end my turn…" contrails of silvery dust then floated out of his discard pile, ascending towards the darkened heavens. "During the End Phase, Stardust Dragon returns! Be reborn, Stardust Dragon!" he instructed as the dust then formed his dragon once again, and it flipped majestically as it remained still in the air.

_Turn 5_

"You…" Rose clenched her fists tightly as she looked at Yusei with a look of never-ending hate. "You…" she muttered as her psychic powers released several shockwaves into the air. "You'll…" her psychic powers seemed to increase immensely as the shockwaves continued to grow stronger and stronger! "You'll pay for that, Yusei Fudo!" she screamed as she drew her new card. "I'll activate the magic of **Pot of Avarice**! I take back 5 Monsters in the graveyard, and then draw two new cards!" she commanded hatefully as her Deck was shuffled, and the Extra Deck slot opened to take in a single card.

_She probably took her Hellfire Dragon back into her Extra Deck… It won't matter though. If she tries to destroy anything, Stardust's effect will activate, and then I can use__**Cosmic Blast**__in order to finish the combo, and lessen the lead she has on me. Then, if I use __**Synchro End**__ in response, I can lock her Battle Phase, giving me the chance to take her down… If that's not the case, then I can use Stardust Dragon together with Formula Synchron to create__**Shooting Star Dragon**__…_ Yusei watched Rose carefully though, in case anything was to go awry from his planned thoughts.

"I'll draw my two cards!" Rose drew them, smirking at them. "I'll discard my **The Fabled Cerburrel** to Special Summon **The Blasphemous Magician**!" she commanded as a magician formed on the field with a pentagram-tattooed mask. Suddenly, the middle of Rose's Field began to flare in a circular blaze. "The Fabled Cerburrel is also Special Summoned onto my Field!" the three-headed dog formed, barking mightily.

The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

The Blasphemous Magician: 900 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 6

"I'll tune the Level 6 **Fabled Soulkius** to my Level 2 **The Fabled Cerburrel**!" Rose commanded as six stars aligned with two rings.

Hellfire Dragon: 3500 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Yusei!" Johnny called out from afar, running towards the battlefield between the two.

"Johnny, didn't I tell you to stay with Jack!" Crow demanded, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why does Hellfire Dragon still have 3500 Attack Points?" Yusei asked, raising an eyebrow at the current scores of Hellfire Dragon.

"Heheh… Did you really think… the flames of my hatred would really die out like that?" Rose began to laugh, not in a stable manner. Her hair fell in front of her, covering her now-savage eyes. "Yusei Fudo… it's impressive that you took out my soul just once, but now… you can't stop it! Hellfire Dragon's Monster effect is that he keeps that power boost from before, and it becomes treated as his original Attack Points for the remainder of the Duel!"

"What the?" Yusei's eyes shot open in surprise of the mention of that monster's effect!

"Whoa, that thing keeps the power-boost it got?" Crow questioned, turning back to the Duel.

Arianna kept her eyes covered, shivering in fear. The black flames rose once again, surrounding Yusei and Rose completely.

"Whoa…" Johnny muttered, watching the black flames, and the fierce look on that dragon. The dragon's attention turned to Johnny, revealing it's savage, merciless eyes that glinted with the raw need to kill. This dragon responded to how Rose was feeling, and had no remorse for the ending result. _That's… not normal… In fact… it's scary…_ Johnny shivered at the thought.

"Hehehe… hahahah!" Rose laughed as she pointed at her Hellfire Dragon. "Hellfire Dragon, attack his precious Stardust Dragon! _Hell Flare_!" she commanded as her dragon's mouth opened widely.

"I won't let you do that! I have no other choice… I'll Tune the Level 8 Synchro Monster Stardust Dragon to the Level 2 Synchro Tuner Formula Synchron!" Yusei instructed as his dragon suddenly shot forth towards a portal revealing two rings from Formula Synchron's body. "_Clustering crystal dreams will open the door to a new evolution! Become the path it's light shines upon!_" Stardust Dragon sped up as it passed the portal, suddenly disappearing from sight! "_Accel Synchro!_" he commanded as the portal closed, releasing a slight explosion of light!

"Be born…" a new portal ripped open behind him, revealing an all-new Stardust Dragon! "**Shooting Star Dragon**!" the dragon suddenly flew towards the air, spinning and spinning faster and faster as it tore through the clouds of darkness! The dragon finally stopped, and light burst forth from its body, ripping a large hole in the black clouds that then emitted a crystalline light. The dragon roared mightily as it unfolded its arms, and looked down at Hellfire Dragon with its yellow eyes.

Shooting Star Dragon: 3300 Attack / 2500 Defense | Level 10

"Hellfire Dragon! Attack that Shooting Star Dragon! I don't care how much you try to stop me… My Monster's still stronger than yours! Annihilate that Shooting Star Dragon!" Rose commanded.

"Shooting Star Dr—"

"Sorry, Yusei Fudo, you're not stopping me with your shrewd tricks! **The Blasphemous Magician**'s Monster Effect won't allow you! I remove him and a Fiend-Type Monster in the graveyard from play in order to Negate your Monster's effect! Go, _Devil's Trickery_!" she commanded as the spirit of a fiend, along with that magician then spiraled together, running towards Shooting Star Dragon! The spirits completely covered Shooting Star Dragon, surrounding it with a red static that made it cry out in despair!

"Shooting Star!" Yusei shouted in despair.

"It's over, Yusei Fudo! Your tricks are done with! You've got nothing else!" Rose shouted as Hellfire Dragon shot a stream of black flames towards Shooting Star Dragon! The black flames enveloped Shooting Star Dragon, making it cry out in pain as it then shattered into tiny pixels!

Little embers shot down like meteors to Yusei, and he ducked for cover as he yelled in pain, some of them burning through his clothes and coming into contact with his flesh! "Ahhh!" he yelled in pain as his Life Point parameters shot down.

Yusei: 3400 Life Points

"Fabled Valkyrus, Direct Attack! _Black Crush_!" Rose commanded as the black-armored demon's hand gathered black flames onto its palm, and shot it in a concentrated form towards Yusei!

"AHHH!" Yusei shouted once again as the flames enveloped him, burning him all over now!

Yusei: 500 Life Points

"Finish him off, Fabled Ragin! _Golden Cutter_!" the golden-colored demon roared and lashed out to Yusei, its claws barely even touching him as his Life Points then shot down to the very bottom.

Yusei: 0

"It's over…" Rose spat as the flames all around them died out, but to her surprise, Yusei was surrounded by a crimson aura. She looked around, growling in pure anger. "Who dares disturb this Duel!" she barked as the cries of the Crimson Dragon could be heard, and the black clouds joined back together, blotting out the light that Shooting Star Dragon created. "That dragon again…" Rose muttered.

"Yusei!" Johnny and Crow shouted, running towards Yusei's unconscious body. He didn't seem to be burnt horribly, he was at least recognizable and only had a few burns on his clothes. If anything, he was alright in comparison to how the field was.

"Yusei Fudo… you managed to survive another day… It seems as if fate has given you the chance to survive my attack…" Rose turned away, still feeling animosity towards the Crimson Dragon. "Your pathetic dragon… No, just your pathetic comrades in general… will never reach me. You can raise your Duel Disks as high as me, but you'll never reach my level of skill… My drive for revenge has given me the ability to destroy all who stand in my way…" Rose spat as she began to walk away. "If any of you follow me… be warned… I will not hold back…" she then began to take a few steps away.

Johnny watched Rose step away, and then looked at Yusei. _Everyone… they're all…_ He remembered what happened to Jack, and shook his head, trying to hold back his inner feelings. _Revenge… that's all I can think of to inflict against her… but… that'll just make me the same as her…_He clenched his fists, and looked at the sky as his Wings of the Crimson Dragon birthmark suddenly flared to life, and shouted "Why can't I do anything?", his voice only reaching to the omnipresent.

"Arianna, can't you do anything for Yusei!" Crow panicked, looking at Arianna who immediately walked over to him, and knelt down. "I'll see what I can do…"

"Don't stop at that! You've gotta help him!" Crow demanded and slammed his fist into the ground. "Dammit!"

"Pain and anger…" Johnny muttered, and then looked at the direction where Rose walked. "You guys… just stay here" he said as he took a step forward. "I… think I know how to help her!"

"What're you, crazy! There's already someone wounded, I can't let someone else become wounded!" Arianna shouted at Johnny.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll take care of it" Johnny raised the peace sign, grinning at Crow especially.

Crow shook his head, "Kid, you plan on getting killed, don't you?"

"Maybe" Johnny answered wittily.

"…Go get'er" Crow couldn't help but to shake his head and chuckle a little bit. "Man, the only thing that can stop her is another Signer… I don't have a Birthmark anymore, so I guess you'll have to do it"

"But!" Arianna was about to stand.

"But, nothing, Arianna" Crow answered with a smile. "You've got a birthmark too, but your hands are tied. Johnny… I dunno, I have a good feeling about him. I think he's got what it takes to stop her" he grinned confidently.

"…" Arianna sighed, shaking her head and then went back to Yusei, opening her medical kit.

"Johnny… do what ya gotta do, but… come back alive, got it?" Crow grinned as he fist-bumped with Johnny. The two of them acknowledged that Johnny was the only one capable to do it now. Crow grinned and shoved him in that direction, "Man, you better score a wicked win out of that one! Crow-sama won't approve of you losing!"

"I wouldn't worry… Raptor Johnny here's gonna win that Duel!" Johnny grinned.

""Raptor Johnny" you say?" Crow raised an eyebrow before grinning. "I like it, if you win, you win that title!"

"Woot!" Johnny said before walking off. He was now heading towards Rose, and little did he know that she wasn't in the mood to play any games. Now, she was ready to take a life without a single bit of remorse in her dark, cold soul.

* * *

Author's Note: Looks like this is where shit gets heavy... and we're nowhere NEAR the End yet! Oh, and to answer Hikari Hellion... I bash my own story because I usually foresee bad reviews each chapter. I'm amazed I even get reviews at all, to be perfectly honest, ha-ha!

Disclaimer: Must I repeat myself? I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, nor the actual Trading Card Game... if I did, Pot of Duality would be a common card, along with Solemn Warning, and all the other cards in the world that are above Common. :D


	14. Rekindling Souls! Rose vs Johnny!

"Rose!" Johnny called out, invoking his Duel Disk. The girl stopped in her tracks, clenching her fists tightly as she turned to look at him with her icy-cold, striking Johnny's soul with the stare of her navy-blue orbs. Johnny panted, catching his breath from all the running he had to do in order to catch up with her.

"What do you want? Can't you see I have my own agenda, or are you too ignorant to comprehend that?" Rose spat coldly. Everything about Johnny just boiled her blood. His brightly-colored clothing, his happy-go-lucky expression, even that voice that seemed excited to do practically anything for his newfound friends.

"I know… but…" Johnny stood up straight, catching his breath finally. The air between the two remained cold, and she seemed to be losing interest in what he was going to say. "Why won't you help us?" he demanded to know, stepping forward to her.

"I have no need for others to drag me down, you weakling…" Rose answered back, crossing her arms. "Weaklings like you are what irritate me" she stepped forward, raising a fist at him. "I dare you to stand in my way again, one more time" she warned, putting her fist down, and turning away.

"Wait!" Johnny reached out to her shoulder, but she grabbed his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder as if he were a lightweight!

"I told you, fool… don't you ever stand in my way" Rose replied coldly as she twisted Johnny's arm for almost a second, and release her grip on his arm. "If you have a death wish, continue pursuing me… I'll do worse than just twisting your arm" she threatened him once more.

Johnny leaped back onto his feet, walking behind her once more. "Come on, Rose… We need you, but you keep acting like you can do it on your own…" he said, trying to break through to her. _I know my words can't break through to her… but I need to do it, somehow!_

"You and your friends are all weaklings. If I carry you under my wings, I'll fall back down to weakness once again" Rose answered back, clenching her fists tighter than ever. She was truly considering giving Johnny a good right-hook to the face.

"But… The Crimson Dragon chose us for a reason! Why can't we at least all work together, for now? I mean… Arianna came to us wi-"

"Weaklings will always gather around other weaklings. Then, they chase the strong, but can never touch them, just like the monkey and the moon's reflection" Rose answered with an icy voice. She turned to Johnny, staring him dead-on in the eyes. "It's people like you that I hate… You're the monkey, and you think you can reach the moon in the water's reflection…" but then she smirked at him. "However… the monkey doesn't reach it, and falls into the water, drowning over a foolish goal… Your pitiful attempts at making me join the Signers will be to no avail. Now get away from me" she shoved him hard, and then gave him one solid punch to his chest.

Johnny gasped, he lost his breath that moment that she delivered him that punch, and he staggered back. "But… this mark…" Johnny revealed his Wings Birthmark, "it bound us all together, to a journey that'll unite us" he said, but she was already walking away from him.

"This so-called 'birthmark'… is nothing more than my symbol of anger. A mark that has cursed me, and will not go away until I've finally gotten my revenge… That man, Yusei… he wasn't enough!" her birthmark glowed a furious red. "My boiling blood is asking for someone else… That Levis… he was wrong…" she whispered, smirking once more.

"What're you talking about?" Johnny raised an eyebrow, confused. _She seems… scary right now…_

"Johnny… how about a Duel? You win, and I'll accept your offer to join you…" Rose grinned. Her grin showed deceptive playfulness, however, her eyes showed something completely different: bloodlust.

"If I lose…?" Johnny asked, gulping. Something heavy had to come with the burden of his loss, so he was bracing himself to hear it.

"If you lose…" Rose chuckled to herself. "It won't matter what'll happen by then…" she implied, laughing malevolently.

"I-I see…" Johnny muttered, biting his bottom lip. _I'm… I'm way in over my head… I should just back-down… maybe Crow should've done this…_ He doubted himself, and shivered slightly in fear.

"What's the matter? Afraid? Is the little baby scared of a little challenge?" Rose egged on, and then spat. "Weaklings like you never have spines, no wonder you're shivering like a leaf" she commented, about to turn and walk.

_No! I can't… I can't let Yusei down! I…_ Johnny closed his eyes tightly, imagining the image of her Hellfire Dragon. He saw it take down Yusei in just a single fell-swoop. He knew nothing of it's effect from Yusei's Duel, since he wasn't there until the very end of it. _I can't just let Yusei down by doing nothing… I have a duty as a Signer… As much as I might regret this decision…_ "I…" he opened his eyes suddenly, feeling his flames of justice surge through his body. Johnny stomped his foot, and suddenly stopped his shivering, which particularly caught Rose's attention as a surprise. "I…" he raised his Duel Disk, and his Deck was then shuffled immediately. "I accept your challenge!"

"Hmph, looks like weaklings indeed do have a spine…" Rose shook her head, laughing. "Now, let's see if you can survive my flames of hatred… Since you've found a new courage… I'll willingly let you have 8000 Life Points as a starting point" she added on to her conditions.

"8000 Life Points? Why would you want your opponent to have the advantage over you…?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow. _No, this is too strange… no one gives his or her opponent a shot at having double the original start…_

"You've seen my Soul, you've seen the ferocity of my hate… Giving someone the chance at starting off with 8000 Life Points is practically a gift from someone like me…" Rose said in a cold, eerie voice. That voice left Johnny standing dumbfounded for almost half a second.

He shook his head, and readied his Duel Disk, "Fine then. I'll accept to that condition as well!"

"Then let's begin this Duel, Johnny! It's about time you've been rid of from my line of sight… I'll make sure it hurts bad!" Rose drew her opening hand, as well as Johnny. The two declared "Duel!" automatically.

Arianna was done bandaging and treating Yusei's wounds. She sighed with relief, and looked at Crow. "We're lucky. All he had was just flesh-wounds… Any worse and he might have…" she drifted off for a second. She couldn't bring herself to say that word.

"So long as Yusei's fine…" Crow sighed in relief, and looked at Yusei's unconscious body. "We're pretty lucky that you're with us right now, otherwise we would've been screwed sideways."

"Well, I guess the Crimson Dragon picked me for the purpose of fixing wounds…?" Arianna sweat dropped at that moment. _Sheesh, I'm only a Signer so I can treat wounds from any upcoming battles? Still… that Rose girl worries me…_

"You know something?" Crow looked off into the distance, in the direction where Johnny followed behind Rose.

"What is it?" Arianna looked at him.

"It's weird… I look at Johnny, and I constantly see a piece of Jack inside of him… I look at Rose, and I see what used to be me when Blackfeather Dragon was lost…" Crow muttered, crossing his arms. "Could it be that our past selves still course through those birthmarks?"

_ Turn 1_

_ Johnny: 8000 _

_ Rose: 4000 _

"The first turn's mine, draw!" Johnny drew his new card, and looked at it. "Alrighty, I'll set two cards face-down…" two horizontal face-down cards appeared in front of him. "Next, I Summon my **Jurrac Velo**!" he commanded as a rainbow-colored raptor appeared on the field. The raptor roared at Rose, who couldn't help but shake her head at him.

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"So you picked a colorful weakling? How pitiful…" she then gave a cold glare to Johnny. "Is that all you've got for that turn?" she crossed her arms. "If so, then you're going to die on my next turn" she smirked.

"Dunno about that, we'll see when it happens! Turn End!" Johnny declared the End Phase of his turn.

_ Turn 2_

"My turn then. Draw!" Rose drew her new card, and began to laugh. "Now, you're done with! I activate the Spell Card called **Charge of the Light Brigade**!" she commanded as the hologram projected the card's image, showing a white wolf charging through a pulse of light.

_Darn, that's the card she used when she was Dueling Yusei! I might run into some big trouble if that card dishes out what she wants in there…_ Johnny bit his bottom lip, watching her pick up the top three cards from her deck.

"Oh?" Rose spoke, watching Johnny's expression. "Afraid of what I might have gained in the graveyard? How pathetic…" she shook her head. "I was once as pathetic as you are… but now, I'm strong. I don't need you, or any of those Signers you claim will be my 'friend'. I don't need friends though, so why won't you get that through to your thick head?" she threw the cards into the grave, and swiped a single card from the middle of her deck. "With **Charge of the Light Brigade**'s effect, I lose three cards on the top of my deck to the grave, and then I can retrieve a single monster in my deck with "Lightsworn" written in it's name" she explained, revealing her card. "I decided to add **Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress** to my hand. Or is your brain too tiny to understand that she's a "Lightsworn" Monster?" she asked.

"Hey, now that's just a personal attack!" Johnny argued back.

"Oh well" Rose didn't even bat an eye at Johnny's attempt to make her laugh. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my grave-bound **Fabled Kushano**!" she effortlessly commanded. "Now, I discard a single "Fabled" monster in my hand to add him back to my hand…" she placed a card into the discard pile and picked up her Kushano once again. Light shone from her discard pile, and the discarded card spat back out. "I discarded **The Fabled Cerburrel**! His effect only activates when discarded!" she commanded, and flames circled in the middle of her field, creating the three-headed puppy.

Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 2

"Wait, that Tuner Monster…!" Johnny was taken aback, remembering his Duel against Gerardo who summoned the very same creature. "Dude, no, Gerardo's the only person that ever got that card, why the heck do you have it?" he stuttered in surprise.

"Hmph, that fool simply found one by luck… I was the very first to find this Monster" Rose narrowed her eyes as the Cerburrel barked. "Now, I'll send two cards in my hand to the graveyard…" she swiped two cards and threw them into the discard pile.

"Again?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Now, I'll lose those cards to bring your ultimate doom to life… Be Reborn, Fabled Soulkius!" she commanded as light burst from her Duel Disk once more, releasing the tall, muscular demon that had that signature grin on his face like her other "Fabled" creatures.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"I'll tune my Level 6, Fabled Soulkius, to my Level 2, The Fabled Cerburrel!" she commanded as two rings scattered around the six orbs of light. "_My flames of hate arise here before us! Wipe out those who stand in my way with your creation-shaking flames!_" the rings and orbs then immediately darkened, exploding into a black light!

"Synchro Summon?" Johnny was now alarmed_. Darn she's summoning her ace monster already? Dammit!_

"Escape, **Hellfire Dragon**!" a black aura appeared around Rose as black flames shot from the ground. The black flames slowly faded, revealing her dark-gray dragon in all of its might, with wings that appeared to be rotting. Its tail was long, with an axe-like formation at the very tip. Its claws were long, and black like its owner's aura. Its eyes were a dark crimson that stared into Johnny the very same way that Rose did all the time.

"So this… is her soul…" Johnny felt a wave of nothing but despair and coldness. He shivered at the feel of the intensity of that wave. _I don't think there's anything else that'll convince her… I'll have to take that thing down… _He looked at the section of his Duel Disk that retained his Extra Deck. _Meteo-Rage Dragon… help me out here… I need you to help me light a fire in her soul of darkness…_

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Afraid, Johnny? Too bad, you were the one that accepted to this Duel, and now, you'll be just another number, and another mess on the floor to clean up…" Rose said coldly as she then pointed at Johnny. "I now activate the effect of my Fabled Kushano…" her graveyard shone once more. "I'll take him to my hand by discarding a single "Fabled" Monster in my hand…" she revealed the monster that she discarded. "Through his effect, I'll discard my **Fabled Krus**" she threw it into her discard pile, and then added her **Fabled Kushano** to her hand.

"Aw no, not that monster!" Johnny's eyes widened. He knew where this was going, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Fabled Krus' monster effect now activates in the graveyard! I Special Summon one "Fabled" monster in my graveyard… I think I'll pick my Fabled Raven!" she commanded as the miniature fiend formed on the field from the light of her discard pile. It grinned as it roared loudly.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2

"What the? Wait, he's a Tuner Monster… right?" Johnny pointed at Fabled Raven.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter at this very moment!" Rose's black aura flared, as if it were reaching outwards, burning the ground around her! She then pointed at her Hellfire Dragon, a smug smirk on her face as "Now, his effect activates!" she barked in command as the dragon's eyes glowed fiercely. "When a Fiend-Type Monster is Special Summoned out of my Graveyard… My creature gains 200 Attack Points!" the creature roared mightily as black flames created an aura around Hellfire Dragon!

"Whoa, th-that's a powerful ability!" Johnny's eyes widened in surprise, watching as the Dragon's power increased from such a move. This… this is her mighty soul, her creation-shaking hatred…

Hellfire Dragon: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now I activate the effect of my** Fabled Raven**!" she commanded as the very last two cards in her hand entered the discard pile, and her demon roared with might as it's claws began to glow a malevolent crimson. "With every card that I lose thanks to his effect… he gains 400 Attack Points, and he grows a Level" she explained as she couldn't help but to laugh at Johnny.

Fabled Raven: 2100 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

Her discard pile shone brightly once more. "The effect of my discarded **Fabled Lurrie** activates now!" she barked in ruthless command as the light released a small demon with the same grin as Fabled Raven's grin.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense

Hellfire Dragon: 3100 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now, to continue with my turn, fool…" Rose said coldly as she then snapped her fingers. "Level 1, Fabled Lurrie and Level 4, Fabled Raven Tuning!" she commanded as four rings exploded, circling around the one orb of light.

"Wait… Two Synchro Summons? Damnit!" Johnny cursed under his breath. Her strategy is beyond amazing… This is the power that defeated Yusei, it seems…

"_Oh greedy one, rise from the depths of the earth!_ Synchro Summon! Arise**, Fabled Ragin**!" Rose commanded as a vortex formed on the ground, and a golden being slowly arose from the earth. He roared as he unfolded his black wings, and miniature demons fluttered all around him as if he were king.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense

"Man…" Johnny whistled, watching the being glint against the light of the sun. It looked down on him with a crimson stare, as if it identified its next target.

"I activate the effect of my Fabled Ragin! When he's Synchro Summoned, and I have 1 or Less cards in my hand…" she swiped two cards from the top of her deck, "I get to draw two new cards!" "Don't forget about my Hellfire Dragon now, Johnny, otherwise you'll lose this Duel quick!" she added, and her dragon roared loudly, making Jurrac Velo shiver in slight fear of that dragon's presence.

Hellfire Dragon: 3300 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Jeez!" Johnny's eyes shot open. _Two new cards? If she doesn't need them… wouldn't that feed Soulkius…?_

"I activate the effect of my grave-bound **Fabled Soulkius**!" she commanded as she ditched the newly drawn cards, and added them to her graveyard. "Now, I Special Summon him! You know what happens!" she laughed at Johnny's reaction, watching the despair cross his face as the large, muscular demon arose from the light of her discard pile. As it ascended from the discard pile, it roared mightily.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Hellfire Dragon's Monster effect now!" Rose relentlessly commanded, and her dragon roared mightily as the aura of black flames flared once more!

Hellfire Dragon: 3500 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Darn it…" Johnny cursed, and looked at the dragon. He had to find a way to annihilate it, otherwise it'd be the cause of his loss!

"Now then, Johnny… can you avoid my attack? Battle!" Rose commanded with great authority, and then pointed at the Jurrac Velo. "Hellfire Dragon, attack that pathetic worm he calls a Monster! _Burning Revenge_!" she angrily commanded as the dragon roared, launching flames of darkness at Jurrac Velo!

"Sorry, ain't lettin' that happen! Face-Down activate!" Johnny flipped his card up. "**Book of Moon **activates! With this card's effect, your dragon gets flipped the bird…!" he commanded as a blue book appeared on the field, opening its pages to the black-scaled dragon. It roared and slashed the book into two with its ferocious claws! "Whoa, whoa, what the heck?" Johnny was surprised as the dragon shot itself back on course to Jurrac Velo.

"Hmph, you idiot…" Rose crossed her arms, staring at Johnny with a look of nothing but pure rage. "My dragon cannot be touched by your tomfoolery… he is rendered unaffected by simple tricks like that! This is why you can't stop me… I will have my sweet revenge, and I'll continue taking down fools like you!" she clenched her fist tightly as her Mark of the Dragon's Tail shone bright, along with Johnny's Mark of the Dragon's Wings. "It's always fools like you that don't know when to leave well-enough alone… I will kill all who stand in my way… I will…" her dragon slashed Jurrac Velo in half, making it roar loudly with pain as it burst into pixels.

"AHHH!" Johnny yelled as the shockwave from the explosion made his knees wobble a little bit. _Darn… so this is what real damage feels like, huh?_

Johnny: 6200

"I will reap vengeance for Keith… This stupid world can burn in hell!" Rose yelled, without remorse for her remark.

"Why are you so hell-bent on vengeance for Keith? Don't you know that he won't rest in peace if you keep this thing up? We don't want you doing something stupid!" Johnny argued back as the field around them simulated the sound of a dinosaur's roars. "When you destroy Jurrac Velo by battle, and he was in Attack Position… I Special Summon a "Jurrac" straight out from my Deck! Come on out, **Jurrac Ptera**!" he commanded as he swiped the card from his Deck, and summoned it horizontally. A flying dinosaur formed on the field, lit ablaze by flames as it was then shaded in blue.

Jurrac Ptera: 1500 Defense / 800 Attack | Level 3

"Then why are you so hell-bent on stopping me? What does it matter to you if I do something 'stupid'? Stay out of my way!" she barked at Johnny with her voice full of fury. "It doesn't matter! Fabled Soulkius, attack his Jurrac Ptera!" Rose commanded as the muscular demon growled and attack the Jurrac Ptera!

"Bad move!" Johnny grinned. _My_ _trick worked! Looks like Rose here ain't the only one with tricks up her sleeve!_ "Jurrac Ptera's Monster effect, when you attack him… the Monster gets bounced back into your hand!" he detailed as the Soulkius' claws ripped right through the pterodactyl. The flames left behind by the pterodactyl immediately attacked Fabled Soulkius, swallowing him as he was then transferred back to Rose's hand.

"Now you're wide open!" Rose punched the air in Johnny's direction.

"Oh really?" Johnny smirked at his response. "Sorry, but I've got tricks up my sleeve too! I activate the effect of my **Jurrac** **Herra** in my hand!" he revealed the Monster card. "Because you destroyed a Jurrac by battle when it was in Defense Position, I get to Special Summon him!" Johnny commanded as flames arose from where Jurrac Ptera once existed, giving birth to a large, yellow-skinned dinosaur with two cannon-like formations on its shoulder blades. It spat fire as it roared viciously, causing the ground to shatter beneath his might!

Jurrac Herra: 2300 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 6

"Tch…" Rose looked at her Fabled Ragin, and then Johnny's Jurrac Herra. "Doesn't matter! My Fabled Ragin will attack your Jurrac Herra!" she commanded.

"Wait, but they've got the same number of Attack Points! Why would you attack with those conditions?" Johnny was taken aback by her ruthless fighting.

"I don't care!" Rose yelled as she then pointed at the Jurrac Herra. "I'll shatter and destroy all hopes you have… I'll crush you and your pathetic creatures into the dust! I'll make sure you never see the light of day, never again!" she then pointed at the Jurrac Herra. "Fabled Ragin, attack his Jurrac Herra! _Golden Cut_!" she commanded as the monster obeyed her command, running towards Jurrac Herra ruthlessly. The two engaged in battle, Jurrac Herra launching several fire blasts at Fabled Ragin while the golden demon's minions all attacked Jurrac Herra relentlessly!

"Rose, what're you doing? Do you have no respect for your own Monsters?" Johnny yelled at her.

"I don't care… these creatures are nothing more than servants who obey me… They're nothing more than things that will lead me to my destiny!" Rose argued back at Johnny, voice shrill with more fury than before.

"But if they're helping you get your revenge… you should at least appreciate what they're doing for you!" Johnny tried to argue back.

"Silence! I won't tolerate anymore of the shit coming out of your mouth!" Rose yelled, watching her golden demon roar as both it and Jurrac Herra shattered into pixels. "I End my turn!"

"…" Johnny clenched his fists. "A Duelist who has no respect for their own cards…" he muttered as he activated his face-down card. "Those kind of Duelists…" he looked at her with his green eyes full of passion, "don't deserve to Duel!" Johnny said as the trap flipped up. "I activate Fossil Excavation during your End Phase! By discarding a card in my hand…" red flames burst from his Duel Disk's discard pile, forming Jurrac Herra on his Field once more.

Jurrac Herra: 2300 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 6

"I then get to Special Summon a Dinosaur-Type Monster that's been buried in the graveyard" he looked at Jurrac Herra, and nodded his head.

"Doesn't matter what you do, your attempts at defeating me are futile! Your creature pale in comparison to my Hellfire Dragon!" Rose barked at Johnny.

"Is that so?" Johnny drew his new card.

_Turn 3_

_Rose: 4000_

_Johnny: 6200_

"I'll prove it to you… I'll prove that bonds aren't weak! The Jurrac Tribe is all about bonds, when one is in trouble, the others come to help in their own ways, so now… The Field's all set!" Johnny revealed a Monster in his hand. "I'll Normal Summon my**Jurrac Gallim**!" he said as a miniature, red-skinned baby dinosaur formed on the field, roaring cutely.

Jurrac Gallim: 1200 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2

"All you've done is prove that there are far more pathetic Monsters still residing in your Deck…" Rose spat with disgust. "Oh well" she couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Pathetic? Okay, I'll admit it, he's got low power…" Jurrac Gallim turned to Johnny and roared in argument. "But he's still got an awesome thing to do right now… He's gonna be one of the keys to bringing me my victory!" he smiled and nodded at Jurrac Gallim. "Level 6, Jurrac Herra and Level 2, Jurrac Gallim Tuning!" he commanded as two green rings encircled six orbs of light, which lined up straight. The two rings turned a furious red and blue while the orbs became yellow. "_Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact!_ Synchro Summon! Break, **Meteo-Rage Dragon**!" he commanded with might and red flames swirled around in the middle of the field, giving birth to a mighty dragon of red scales and a yellow eye. The dragon's wing's unfolded as it mightily growled and gave Hellfire Dragon a stare.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Hmph, what good will it do you to Summon something as pathetic as your own Dragon? You may as well have quit if that's the farthest your dragon can reach!" Rose said, feeling nothing more than irritated at Johnny's attempts at victory.

"That's what you say… but let's see what you say when I do this!" Johnny revealed a Spell in his hand. "I activate the Field Spell called **Molten Destruction**!" a volcano suddenly shot up from the ground, and it unleashed an explosion! The fire scattered everywhere, making Hellfire Dragon growl a little as he ascended into the air to avoid a few fireballs.

"And this is supposed to do what? Make the field look nicer when I wipe your existence from the world?" Rose said with disgust, crossing her arms.

"Nope…" Meteo-Rage Dragon roared as the flames swirled around him, making him roar louder and louder as his yellow eyes glowed fiercely. "Now, all FIRE-Attribute Monsters get a hefty 500 Point Boost! Didn't see that comin', now did'ya?" Jonny grinned.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3100 Attack / 1600 Defense

"Hmph, it doesn't matter what you do, can't you see it? Your creature will never stand on par with mine, my flames of hatred won't allow such an impossible thing!" Rose barked at him as Hellfire Dragon's black flames swirled around it, batting back the flames of the volcano.

Johnny sighed, and looked at Rose more seriously. "Rose… I'm going to prove to you, through this Duel, that bonds are stronger than loneliness…" he said as he watched his dragon roar at Hellfire Dragon, who simply roared louder. _Now… that thing has 3300 Attack Points right now… If I can just… Wait…_ He looked at the two cards in his hand. "I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn!"

"Hmph, and you said you were going to prove the strength of pointless bonds? People don't need to be together to accomplish something they can simply do on their own, realize that, Johnny! Look what you're doing right now, you're fighting me on your own, with your own fists!"

"I ain't fighting alone, you better stop comparing me to you! I'm with my friends, I've got Yusei, Crow, Jack, and Arianna… We're all bound together by our bonds!" Johnny argued back.

"They're not with you, so why even bother declaring their names? Jack's dead, Yusei's already close to it, and you never knew that Arianna person before, so why would you call them friends, or even dare say that they're with you?" Rose answered, glaring coldly at Johnny harder than ever before with her pristine, yet murderous blue eyes.

"That's because residing in these flames… are my friends! My friends are all speaking to me through these flames… I won't lose to someone with flames of solitude!" Johnny raised his marked arm. "I'll convince ya that I'm not alone!"

_Turn 4_

"Shut up with this talk of friends! I don't need friends, I'm not weak like you! I refuse to be that way, not ever again!" Rose yelled as light shone from her Discard Pile. "I activate the effect of my grave-bound Fabled Kushano! I discard my Fabled Soulkius to add him to my hand!" she swapped the two cards, and then clenched her fists tightly as another light shone. "I have two Fabled Kushano in the graveyard… so why not? I'll discard my second **Fabled Krus** in order to add Kushano to my hand!" the Kushano giggled as he swapped places with Krus. A brighter light shone from the graveyard.

Johnny watched Rose as if she were an animal, but he didn't treat her like an animal in his eyes. He watched her, feeling _sorry_ for her.

"What's with that look of defeat, Johnny? I thought you were gonna win this Duel, didn't you say that?" Rose laughed as her Fabled Raven growled, appearing from the Discard Pile in it's might.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense

"I'll then take these two cards in my hand and lose them in order for my Fabled Soulkius to arise again!" the muscular demon roared, appearing from the graveyard.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Hellfire Dragon, power up!" she commanded fiercely as her Hellfire Dragon roared, it's pitch-black flames continually reaching outward, effectively making the red flames around it futile!

Hellfire Dragon: 3900 Attack / 2000 Defense

"I'll now Tune my Level 6 Fabled Soulkius with my Level 2 Fabled Raven!" she barked in command as two rings surrounded six orbs of light. "_Hatred, arise here in the form of a demon! Become the servant of the devil!_ Synchro Summon!" a vortex appeared within the burst of light. "Appear before us, **Fabled Valkyrus**!" Rose commanded as the tall, black-armored demon appeared on the Field, grinning like his previous comrades. His height outmatched Meteo-Rage Dragon's! He scratched his goatee, laughing at Johnny.

Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 1700 Defense

"Power up, my flames of hatred!" Rose fiercely commanded as the black aura around her grew darker and darker with each passing second! Her psychic abilities finally lashed out, creating shockwaves that literally pushed Johnny back and created large cracks in the ground!

"Whoa!" Johnny stood his ground as best as possible, feeling the shockwaves from all of her anger and hate! This wave of despair was nothing but cold, but it was indeed powerful! "Dude, now this is just crazy!" he yelled, but the waves so suddenly stopped. _Did she run out of juice?_ He looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of his Meteo-Rage Dragon! It stood in front of him as if it were taking the hits from the violent waves! "Meteo-Rage Dragon… so, you too, huh…?" he smiled as the dragon roared with might.

Hellfire Dragon: 4100 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Oh, how lovely… your pathetic creature decided to protect you. Fine, then you can be the first one to burn in hell!" Rose pointed at the opposing dragon with anger! "Hellfire Dragon, attack his Meteo-Rage Dragon! _Burning Revenge_!" she yelled in command as the dragon launched black flames at Meteo-Rage Dragon!

"Heh, it's about time I showed ya the ability of my Meteo-Rage Dragon!" Johnny smiled as the black flames overtook Meteo-Rage Dragon, making it roar in pain. "I activate the effect of my Meteo-Rage Dragon! When he's about to be destroyed, I ditch a Tuner Monster in my hand" the dragon roared as it completely shrugged off the flames, roaring loudly. "Now, I'll ditch my **Jurrac Aeolo**" he placed it into his discard pile.

"But you still take the Damage, Johnny!" Rose laughed loudly as the black flames skipped past Meteo-Rage Dragon, and all attacked him!

"Jeez!" Johnny yelled in utter pain as the flames engulfed him, but then vanished a few seconds later, leaving nothing but a few burns on his skin.

Johnny: 5200

"Why do you try, Johnny? Why? You know you're weak, you've lost this fight no matter what you try!" Rose clenched her fists with even more anger. "I end my turn!"

"Because I don't want you to do something stupid!" Jonny argued back, preparing to swipe his new card from the top of his deck.

"You keep saying that, but what do you care! I'm just someone who almost killed your friend, I'm just another enemy standing in your way!" Rose stomped her foot, her psychic waves unleashing themselves, but Meteo-Rage Dragon took the hits, roaring in slight pain.

"Meteo-Rage Dragon… don't worry about me, I'll take the hits now…" Johnny said, stepping forth in front of his dragon, taking a shockwave to the shoulder! "Ugh!" he staggered as he felt his shoulder crack, and bleed a little bit. "I'll… I'll take all of your hate! I'll do it!" Johnny swiped the new card from the top of his deck.

_Turn 5_

"It's your own problem if you die, you should've just let your precious dragon take the hits for you!" Rose said without remorse, glaring at Johnny with a dark, hateful stare.

"Battle! Meteo-Rage Dragon will attack your Fabled Valkyus!" Johnny commanded as his creature roared with might, launching crimson flames at the Fabled Valkyrus!

"Tch" was all Rose said in response to Johnny's action.

Rose: 3800

"My Meteo-Rage Dragon's Monster Effect now activates!" Johnny smiled as Meteo-Rage Dragon roared mightily! "_Assist Call_ is his effect… When he destroys an opponent's Monster by battle, I get to add a Monster from my Deck to my hand so long as it has a lower Level than the destroyed Monster… I'll be picking up my **Jurrac Aeolo** from my Deck to my hand!" a card immediately shot out from his Deck, and he added it to his hand.

"Hmph, a futile attempt at winning! Your monster will fall beneath the might of my Hellfire Dragon!" Rose said with confidence.

"Let's see about that!" Johnny grinned. "I end my turn!"

_Turn 6_

Rose swiped the new card from the top of her deck, and smirked. "I'll play my **Pot of Avarice**!" she commanded as a giant pot appeared, grinning and laughing. "Now… I'll take my **Fabled Krus**, another **Fabled Krus**, a **Fabled Raven**, my **Fabled Ragin**, and my **Fabled Valkyrus**… and add them back into my deck!" she placed the cards into their proper places. "I'll shuffle, and draw two new cards!" she drew them, and laughed at Johnny. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my **Fabled Kushano**!" she commanded as the Kushano appeared once more from the light, giggling as it swapped places with a card in her hand. "I'll discard my **Fabled Lurrie**!" the light did not end as a miniature demon came from it.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense

"Power up, my loyal creature!" Rose commanded as her Hellfire Dragon roared with might, it's flames growing stronger and stronger with each and every passing second!

Hellfire Dragon: 4300 Attack / 2000 Defense

"I activate the effect of **Fabled Grimro**! I'll discard her in order to add…" Rose revealed her newly added **Fabled Krus**. "I'll activate the effect of my other grave-bound Fabled Kushano!" she commanded as the light shone once more, and the same demon swapped places with Krus. "Krus' Monster effect will Special Summon my **Fabled Grimro** from the graveyard!" she commanded as a female demon was born from the light of the graveyard. She roared as her wings unfolded and her black dress fluttered.

Fabled Grimro: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Now, I'll send these two cards in my hand…" she threw her two Kushano into the graveyard, and her Fabled Soulkius arose again from the graveyard!

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now my Hellfire Dragon, power up! Power up infinitely!" she commanded as the black flames of her dragon suddenly flared once more, and the black aura around herself somehow darkened even further!

Hellfire Dragon: 4700 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Battle! Hellfire Dragon attacks your pathetic Meteo-Rage Dragon! _Burning Revenge_!" she commanded and a large orb of black flames shot out from her dragon's mouth! The black flames exploded on contact with Meteo-Rage Dragon, and Johnny yelled in pain as the damage continued hurting him for real!

Johnny: 3600

"I'll discard my **Jurrac Aeolo** in order to protect him from destruction!" Johnny shouted from within the flames as the spirit of a dinosaur hatchling appeared on the Field, negating the flames' existence!

"Hmph, you're still taking damage, Johnny!" Rose laughed at him. "You think you can take my hate, and yet your Life Points are dropping faster than a dead fly! You should surrender this foolish agenda of yours, you have no chance!"

"We'll see about that, Rose!" Johnny panted, his burn wounds inflicting pain on him, but he continued to stand. No matter how much it hurt, he needed to stay standing to take all of her rage and anger.

"I end my turn!"

_Turn 7_

"Alrighty, my move!" Johnny drew his new card, panting deeply. "I'll set this card face-down, and activate my **Jurassic Soul** Spell Card! Now, I select a Dinosaur on my side of the Field, and he's rendered unable to attack…"

"Get some glasses, idiot, your monster's a Dragon, not a Dinosaur!"

"Oh really now?" Johnny smirked as he pointed at Meteo-Rage Dragon. "I guess you never knew… Because his effect treats him as both a Dragon _and_ a Dinosaur-type Monster!"

"What?" Rose's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Now… he can't attack, but I get to select and destroy two of my opponent's monsters by destroying two Spell/Trap Cards on the Field… I'll destroy two of my face-downs! Now, I'll stomp on your Fabled Lurrie and Fabled Grimro!" Johnny commanded as his Meteo-Rage Dragon roared and stomped on them both, completely annihilating them! "And, because they both had lower Attack than him, I get to draw one card!" he swiped the new card off the top of his deck.

"Hmph, a futile attempt! You know you can't target my Monster with any kind of effects!" she pointed at her soul, her Hellfire Dragon.

"I know that! Dude, I didn't aim at that thing for that exact reason!" Johnny exclaimed, and a horizontal card appeared before him. "I'll end by setting this face-down!"

"During the End Phase…" she began to laugh wickedly as her Hellfire Dragon roared mightily once more.

"Aw no, not another effect!" Johnny complained.

"Because you destroyed two monsters by a card effect when it wasn't my turn… I get to draw one card to replace them!" Rose swiped the top two cards of her deck into her hand.

_Turn 8_

"Sheesh, that's some Deck you've got there… You easily swarm the Field, pressuring the opponent into kicking the crack outta your monsters with effects, and then you let that Hellfire Dragon keep on adding stuff to your hand, _and_ infinite power-boosts? Yikes, I'm a little jealous of your Deck" Johnny grinned.

"Whatever…" Rose drew her new card, and looked at the three cards in her hand, smirking. "First, I'll discard my **Fabled Raven** in order to add Kushano back to my hand…" Rose explained as the Kushano giggled from the light of the discard pile. The two cards swapped their locations, and both Kushano and Raven giggled. "Know what? I'll use the effect of my second Fabled Kushano! I'll discard my **Fabled Krus** for this effect!" she commanded as the two monsters swapped their locations. "Krus' effect now activates! I'll Special Summon my Third **Fabled Kushano** from the Graveyard!" from the Graveyard!"

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3

"Power up, my flames of hatred!" Rose yelled in command as her dragon's flames continued to increase in intensity, but it seemed as if Rose was unaffected by the flames that made Johnny pant heavily.

Hellfire Dragon: 4900 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Next, I'll send these two cards in my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon my grave-bound **Fabled Soulkius**! Come back servant of the black flames!" she commanded mightily as the ground erupted with light, revealing the muscular demon that roared mightily upon its appearance.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense

Hellfire Dragon: 5100 Attack / 2000 Defense

"I activate the effect of my **Level Eater**! I'll steal a Level from my **Fabled Soulkius** to Special Summon it! I won't stop there, there are two in my graveyard!" she commanded as two ladybugs flew through the Fabled Soulkius, and it grunted as the insects drained him of his Level.

Fabled Soulkius: Level 4

Level Eater: 600 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1

"Ugh…" Johnny cursed under his breath. She was getting the advantage over him, and he needed a miracle at this point, otherwise Rose was going to overtake him with just her Hellfire Dragon!

"I'll be Tuning the Level 1 Level Eaters with my Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" Rose commanded authoritatively, watching the two orbs of light be encircled by the three green rings. "Rise again, **Fabled Ragin**!" a portal opened, revealing the golden demon once more!

"Again!" Johnny's eyes shot open in surprise.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense

Hellfire Dragon: 5300 Attack / 2000 Defense

"The effect of Fabled Ragin now activates! When he's Synchro Summoned while I have one or less cards in my arsenal… I get to draw two new weapons from the top of my deck!" she swiped the two cards from her deck to her hand. "First, I'll use the effect of a Fabled Kushano in my hand! I'll discard the Tuner Monster **The Fabled Catsith**!" she revealed the card, swapping it with Fabled Kushano.

"Tch…" Johnny was helpless. He couldn't do much, and this turn was longer than he hoped it would be.

"Don't think that your torment ends here! The effect of my discarded **The Fabled Catsith** activates! I get to destroy a Face-Up card on your Field! Say goodbye to that puny Field Spell!" she laughed as lightning struck from the sky, annihilating the volcano entirely! "Now your pathetic power-boost can't save you now, Johnny! You're as good as dead now!"

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Yeesh, you'd think you were PMS'ing at this point…" Johnny muttered as he took his Field Spell and placed it into his discard pile.

"Don't think that this is over with! I'll activate the effect of a Level Eater in the graveyard!" she commanded as another insect rose from the ground, nibbling on Fabled Ragin. "Now, I'll let him swallow a Level out of my Fabled Ragin to Special Summon himself from the graveyard!"

Level Eater: 600 Attack / 0 Defense

"Yeesh, you keep on spamming monsters like there's no tomorrow…" Johnny commented, biting his bottom lip. _And the more she keeps Summoning these fiends… the stronger her monster gets… I've only got this guy in my hand left… and then this face-down…_

"I now Normal Summon my Fabled Kushano!" the book-wielding demon appeared on the field, giggling as he pushed his glasses up his face.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense

"Now…" Rose pointed at her creatures. "Level 4, Fabled Soulkius and Level 1 Level Eater will be Tuned to my Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" a burst of light immediately occurred, revealing a black-armored demon whose grin was unmatched. He stroked his goatee as he laughed at Johnny's fearful flinch.

Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 1700 Defense

"Power up, my hatred!" she screamed as her Hellfire Dragon roared mightily once more, it's flames of darkness enshrouding the entire field nothing but shadows at this point!

Hellfire Dragon: 5500 Attack / 2000 Defense

"I activate the Monster effect of my Fabled Valkyrus! Once per turn… I discard one Fiend-Type Monster in my hand and draw a new card!" she discarded the card, and picked up her new one from the top of the deck. She smirked as light shone from her graveyard once more. "I discarded a **Fabled Krus**! Now her effect allows me to Special Summon a "Fabled" monster of Level 4 or Lower in the graveyard… I'm in the mood for my **Fabled Kushano**!" she commanded as the glasses-wearing demon appeared again, grunting and giggling.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense

"Now, my flames of hatred… grow even further! Blot out all hope and dreams! Make my enemy suffer the pain I've had to endure!" Rose commanded and the shadows surrounding the two had begun to dance, dancing like the flames that lined against her aura so perfectly. It was almost as if she were becoming a demon herself, yet still maintained the shape of a human.

Hellfire Dragon: 5700 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Dude, 5700 Attack? That's off the charts!" Johnny backed away, watching the flames slowly come closer to him. _That thing's got more points than the Life Points I've got left to spare! If this keeps up… I'm screwed!_

"I activate the effect of the Fabled Kushano that rests in my graveyard! I'll discard my **Fabled** **Cerburrel**!" she commanded as the Kushano and three-headed puppy switched places once more. "The effect of Cerburrel activates! Come to me, servant of demise!" she commanded as the three-headed puppy formed on the field, growling fiercely in the presence of Hellfire Dragon.

The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 800 Defense

"Battle! It's over for you, Johnny!" she barked as her Hellfire Dragon roared, black flames gathering in it's mouth! "Attack his Meteo-Rage Dragon! _Burning Revenge_!" she commanded her dragon, and it indeed obeyed her. The flames of darkness shot forth like a nuclear bomb!

"Holy!" Johnny tried to stand his ground as the explosion connected with his dragon. He felt the flames burning his skin, some of it charring pitch-black because of the high-degree burns that he was feeling from it, and he screamed loudly. His dragon roared in great pain as the flames were swallowing it!

"Burn! Suffer and burn, Johnny! Learn what I've been through… all of that pain, accept it! You think you can take the burden of my pain on your shoulders? You're dead wrong! No one will ever know… No one… will ever know!" she screamed in pure rage as the flames continued attacking Johnny relentlessly!

"Gah! I'll activate the Monster Effect of my Meteo-Rage Dragon! Once per turn, when he's about to be destroyed, I get to discard a Tuner Monster to protect him!" Johnny revealed the monster in his hand. "I'll discard my third, and final, **Jurrac Aeolo**!" the flames around him then turned crimson, and completely neutralized the black flames!

"You still take the damage Johnny, doesn't matter what you do!" Rose said in her shrill voice, unable to control her anger. Suddenly, shockwaves emitted from her body as she clenched her fists tighter, and the aura around her devastatingly began to shift as if it were another life-form!

Johnny: 500

"Ugh…" Johnny grunted. _My body hurts…_ He panted heavily, his line of sight slowly becoming hazy. He couldn't see Rose very well, but he knew she was there, as well as her Hellfire Dragon. _I can't… give up…_

"It's still my turn, and I've got three more monsters waiting to tear you down! Fabled Valkyrus, take down his Meteo-Rage Dragon!" she commanded and the fiend obeyed, roaring as he slashed Meteo-Rage Dragon in half, and Johnny yelled in intense pain. The dragon roared in agony as it began to shatter into tiny pixels.

Johnny: 200

"No…" Johnny grunted, trying his hardest to keep himself standing as he clicked a button on his Spell/Trap Zone. "Trap Card… activate! **Urgent Desynchro**…" he panted heavily as his Meteo-Rage Dragon roared to life once more, reforming in its almighty original form.

"You fool, you can't stop me!" Rose barked.

"Through this card's effect… When a Level 8 or Higher Synchro Monster is destroyed by battle… I send it back to the Extra Deck and Special Summon, in Defense Position, the Synchro Material I used for that Synchro Monster… however, their effects are negated and their Defense Points are reduced to Zero…" Johnny pointed at the field of swirling crimson flames. "Be reborn… **Jurrac Herra** and **Jurrac Gallim**!" two dinosaurs formed on the field in Defense Position.

Jurrac Herra: 0 Defense / 2300 Attack

Jurrac Gallim: 0 Defense / 1200 Attack

"Hmph, all your efforts have done is delay the inevitable! My creatures will annihilate your weak obstructions!" she commanded as the Fabled Kushano and Fabled Ragin both shattered the creatures that Johnny had left on his Field.

"Heh…" Johnny staggered, trying to remain standing straight, looking dead-straight into Rose's cold, dead-looking eyes. "The effect of my Jurrac Gallim activates in the graveyard… when he's destroyed by battle… the monster that destroyed him is also destroyed…" he panted heavily as flames enshrouded Fabled Kushano, making it scream in agony as it shattered into pixels.

"Hmph, doesn't matter, I still have one more atta-"

"You wanna know something about me…?" Johnny coughed, holding his wounded shoulder as the blood continued to spill out from the large wound.

"I don't need to know anything about you, weakling!" Rose declared as her Cerburrel immediately went in for the attack!

"I'll activate the effect of my **Jurrac Stego**! By sending this card from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the opponent's Monster's Direct Attack!" Johnny commanded as a stego jumped out from his hand, blocking Fabled Cerburrel's attack strongly. "Afterwards, I regain 300 Life Points..." he panted as his Life Points increased slightly.

Johnny: 500

"I can… relate to ya…" Johnny coughed, trying to keep himself on balance. He jolted slightly in pain, and coughed hard, still trying to keep himself on balance.

"You liar! Don't you _dare_ say that you can relate to me! You don't know what it's like losing someone you love, someone you care for! You don't know what it's like to watch them burn to death!" Rose yelled in shrill anger, her body releasing psychic shockwaves once again!

"As much as I hate to break it to ya… I can relate to ya… no matter how much you wanna deny it…" Johnny coughed hard. His body was beaten, battered and bleeding. He was reaching his limit at this point, the point where no normal human would've survived the abuse his body took. "Rose… I can't let ya do something stupid like I almost did…" he said, chuckling a little bit to himself as he could see his memory come back to him. "Heh, yeah… that was so long ago…" his line of sight faded to white, and his mind was slowly falling back into the memory.

"So long ago… I lost my dad in a tragic accident…" he began, and to him, his voice seemed to echo as he was falling into that memory.

* * *

"Mommy…?" a little boy walked into the living room, watching his mother cry into her hands with a stranger sitting next to her. "Mommy… where's Daddy…?" the boy asked, tilting his head as he finally noticed the man. "Aren't you one of Daddy's friends…?" the boy questioned curiously. The young Johnny could only watch his mother's tears trickle down her face, but he couldn't understand. He was too young to possibly understand what his mother meant. "Mommy, I wanna know… tell me where Daddy is! He promised he'd play with me today!" the young boy demanded. He grew impatient, he wanted his father right there with him.

"Now Johnny…" Bradley sighed, looking at the young boy with a painful look in his eyes. He just couldn't say it, no matter how much he needed to say it.

"I can't hear you! Tell me, tell me where Daddy is!" the little boy demanded, stomping his foot.

"Well…" Bradley looked at Johnny's mother, hoping that she would save him the trouble of telling Johnny the news.

"Johnny… Daddy moved away…" she could only tell him that. "Your Daddy moved away, and he's going to stay there for a very long time…"

"That's not fair! Daddy said he'd play with me, he promised me!" Johnny stomped his foot as he was about to cry too, but in disappointment. "He promised me that he'd play with me, so why did Daddy leave?" he pointed at his mother accusingly. "What did you do mommy, hide Daddy away from me so we can't play?" he raised his voice.

"Johnny, relax… I'll play with you, if that's what you nee—"

"Nuh-uh! I want Daddy, not mommy! Daddy promised me that he'd play with me!" the young Johnny demanded for his father once more. 'No' would no longer suffice in this matter.

Bradley clenched his fists, trying to hold himself back.

"Johnny…" Johnny's mother whispered, and her amber-brown eyes darkened a little bit. Her eyes were now stained with despair. She wanted him to know the truth, but there was still a problem. _Is he mature enough… to know what the truth is…?_

"Tell me now! I wanna know! I wanna know! I wanna know!" Johnny screamed demandingly once more.

"That's enough, Johnny! Your father died in an accident, okay?" Bradley shouted, but then covered his mouth in sudden realization of what his annoyance led him to say.

Johnny's eyes were wide with surprise, not at the fact that Bradley yelled at him, but for the truth. "D-Daddy… no… he can't be dead! No! He said he had to go to work, and then he'd come back to play with me! No!" he screamed in denial, banging his fist against the table. "No!" he began to cry once more. "That's a lie, you liar!"

Bradley swallowed hard, and averted his gaze from Johnny, unable to maintain eye contact with the boy's green eyes. In his eyes, there was nothing left of his childish innocence, there was only hurt and agony. The two resided in his eyes, and most likely resonated within his heart and soul at this very moment.

"I'm sorry, Johnny…" his mother sobbed once again, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry… your father… he… he died…" she sobbed as those words came out horribly, but Johnny heard it very well.

"N-no… you guys are all liars… You're all liars!" Johnny stomped into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"It's all for the best…" Bradley tried to calm her, but nothing would work at this point. It hurt to lose her husband, but now it was worse with her son now calling her a liar.

"I'm such a horrible mother…" she couldn't help but to sniffle and sob once more into her hands, where she felt a little safe, even though it only hid her puffy, red eyes.

* * *

"A few years later…" Johnny smiled, almost as if he were regretting the mistakes of his past. "This is where I was at my peak, my hatred almost overtook my soul… but…"

* * *

"Outta my way…" Johnny muttered to an older man, looking at him with an empty stare. The man looked at the boy carefully, and frowned at him.

"You lousy brat!" the older man yelled at Johnny, but he didn't flinch. He didn't even bat an eye, and the old man clenched his fists in annoyance at him.

"Move it or lose it, old man! I don't have all day for your shit!" the older Johnny barked at him. _This friggin' old man… This friggin' world… They can all just burn in hell at this point…_

"You better say sorry, kid! Kids these days, they just don't learn what respect is" the man grumbled, crossing his arms patiently in front of Johnny. He stared at Johnny with angry eyes, but Johnny looked back at him with a look of emptiness, as if something were missing from within him. "Stop looking at me like you're hollow or something, the depressed act isn't cutting it for you" the man was now losing patience as his apology never came through.

"I'm giving you a few seconds to move before I move _you_ myself" Johnny responded, unaffected by the man's growing temper. _Stupid adult… If I could care any less than I do right now, I definitely would…_

"Learn some manners, brat!" the man threw a punch at Johnny, but all he did was take a step to the side, and then land a clean punch to the man's guts. He gasped in horror at the 10-year old boy that gave him a solid punch. "You…"

"Shut up" was all Johnny said before kicking the man's gut, and fully knocking him out. "Stupid man… stupid world… stupid everything…" he grumbled as he continued walking down the street. He kept his head down, and put on his headsets. As if he were shutting the world away, he played some extremely loud music that silenced the sounds of the world around him. No human could say anything to him, nor could he know of their existence at this point. _If the world could burn away… I'd let it happen… Dad, why'd they let you just die like that…?_

"Hey, kid…" another boy of similar age walked over to Johnny, lightly tapping him on the shoulder.

Johnny ignored the boy, playing louder music and the sour look on his face became worse. He didn't like others touching him, or the fact that someone even bothered trying to talk to him.

"You" the boy tried once again, this time shaking Johnny by his shoulder.

Johnny turned to look at the boy with his emerald eyes full of anger. They glinted with wicked hate for the world, and he clenched his fist at the sight of the other boy. He wore a white trench coat, wore rectangular glasses and wore a weird smile on his face. He carried books the size of Texas and wore brown pants with black shoes to match his entire outfit. This look gave him the true appearance of a scientist.

"Hey, do you know which way the nearest deli is?" the boy asked.

"…" Johnny didn't hear a word the boy said, his loud music was still playing. All he did was scoff and turn away. "Not worth the waste of time" he spat as he took a step forward.

"Okay, come on, at least help me out!" the boy yelled, making Johnny turn once more because the boy tapped him on the shoulder again. He pulled his headsets away from his ears and frowned, "Don't you _ever_ touch me again, hear me?"

"Or what?" the boy asked back, raising his textbooks over Johnny's head. "The pen beats the sword, so just tell me where it is, and I'll be on my way" the kid responded to Johnny's threat without a problem.

"…Hmph!" Johnny scoffed and pointed to the right. "Just get the hell outta my sight. I don't need others…" he said sourly.

"Sheesh, someone's got an attitude. What, your dad died or something?" the boy sighed and shook his head.

"…" Johnny flinched at the mention of his father. "You… get away from me, now!" he demanded, swinging a fist at him, but the boy dropped his books over Johnny's head, making him fall hard onto the floor.

"Told you, pen's mightier than the sword… I'll bite, your dad died, so you hate the world, eh?" the boy raised an eyebrow, looking deeply at Johnny's eyes with his calculating brown eyes. "I see, very well then…" the boy pushed his glasses up. "My name's Alan Juno, and what's yours?" he extended his hand out to Johnny, patting him on the head.

Johnny growled, wanting to leap at him if it weren't for the heavy books on his back. _This punk's surprisingly strong if he can lift books that are this heavy…_

"Alright, look, I know we don't know each other… but why not talk to me about it? I mean, you're picking fights only 'cause you've got a personal vendetta against the world that's not really valid" Alan frowned and shrugged. "Sorry, had to tell ya that."

"I don't care… just get these damned books off my back so I can kick your ass!" Johnny demanded, squirming under the heavy books.

"That's not kosher" that was Alan's only answer to Johnny's outburst. "You've seriously got to find a different way to let that anger out. Not on people, but at least indirectly…" he sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Hey… ever heard of Duel Monsters?" Alan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Duel Monsters? Who the hell cares, that's the question" Johnny spat in remark. "If anything, the game sounds completely stupid," he said, squirming underneath the heavy textbooks.

Alan sighed, and shook his head. "Come on, the game's actually really fun. If you give it a try, you might come to enjoy it! It's a game where you summon amazing monsters, activate some awesome spells, and unleash your traps on the opponent. All you need to do, as the player, is strategize and beat down the opponent's Life Points to 0. I'm sure that'll vent out your anger if you make a Deck" he tried to convince him using the slightly enticing details as a way to bring him in.

"That's the game? If I say yes, will you let me the hell go?" Johnny barked, squirming once more underneath the textbooks.

"Yes, indeed. You have to make a Deck yourself, alright?" Alan smiled, watching Johnny's attempts to escape. _He doesn't like admitting to his real thoughts, that's what it looks like. He's interested in the game, but his pride won't let him do what seems interesting._

"Fine then! I'll play the damn game, okay?"

"Alrighty then. Swing by here tomorrow, and I'll loan you a spare Deck of mine!" Alan picked up his textbooks with ease, and extended his arm out to Johnny.

Johnny scoffed and shook Alan's hand, looking away from him. "After tomorrow, that's it. Alright?"

"That's enough time" Alan smiled and turned away, walking off. "We'll be good friends, Johnny Alvarez."

"Friends? Pft, I don't need stupid things like those…" Johnny looked away, clenching his fists tightly as he started heading home.

* * *

"Heh... Alan told me that that game would probably ease me out… and heck, it did! I swear, it was like all of my animosity just vanished!" Johnny spoke calmly, smiling at the memory that replayed in his mind again, like a movie he was watching all over again. His eyes almost slowly welled up with tears as the memories continued to roll.

Rose watched Johnny with utter disgust. _He thinks he can relate to me this shit of a story? I don't see any relations between our pasts, other than that he's a pathetic man..._ "Stop your crying!" Rose commanded.

"You just don't know what it's like to remember these kind of things, and hold them back... You bottled your pain up, and now look what you've become, a shadow of the person you probably were when Keith was right beside you..." Johnny responded to her, still smiling as he wiped tears away.

"... How... how dare you!" Rose growled, the flames dancing around her stronger.

"On the next day, yeah, I went to the same spot I met Alan..."

* * *

"I'm here, now what?" Johnny frowned, crossing his arms. He obviously didn't want to be here, but there was no other choice. He wasn't one to go back on his word, even if it was something he was forced into.

"Now, to give you a practice Deck to work with…" Alan muttered, shuffling through several boxes that appeared to contain stacks of cards.

"Just gimme a damn deck" Johnny swiped one that seemed to be in a Red Box labeled "Fire".

"Ooh, Fire, huh? I guess that'll help you with your burning temper…" Alan shuffled through the boxes, and picked a blue one labeled "Water". "Alrighty, looks like I'll be dousing out your anger with this" he grinned.

"Whatever…" Johnny sighed, and took a look at the instruction manual. "What the hell is Normal Summon? What the hell is all this crap?" he gasped at half the rules, almost ready to throw the manual at Alan's face.

"Dude, relax bro. Trust me, you'll understand half of this when you actually play" Alan explained with a smile as he then sat down on the table, shuffling the deck of cards. "Firstly, we'll be rolling a die to see who goes fi—"

"I'll take the first turn! Screw dice!" Johnny sat down, shuffling the Deck he swiped out of Alan's hands. He drew one card, and grinned, revealing an orange-framed card. "I drew a Monster, looks like I got the hang of t—"

"Wrong!" Alan said as if he were a buzzer for a game show. "Nope, that's not how the game works."

"…Screw you!" Johnny shouted. He sighed, and put the card back, waiting for Alan to instruct him on what to do next. Alan chuckled and stood next to him, giving him instructions in his ear on how the game usually worked. All he needed to say was "You can crush your opponents in one turn when you have the right cards in your hand…" to _really_ spark Johnny's intrigues. The two stuck with each other for hours and hours on end, Alan helping Johnny to learn the ways of Duel Monsters, and then he set Johnny off to Duel a random kid sitting on his own.

Alan crossed his fingers with a grin, wishing Johnny some luck after all that teaching he had to do in order to get him to understand the laws of the game. Move by move, he noticed Johnny was losing at first, but then, Johnny had a smug look on his face, as if he could see the very ending of the Duel. "Heh, looks like you've learned…" he chuckled to himself, watching Johnny pull off the finishing comeback move!

Johnny got up off his chair, laughing and smiling out of nowhere as he shook the kid's hand. "Damn man, good game!"

"You too!" the kid replied, walking away from the table with a smile across his face as well.

"See what I told ya? You're smiling" Alan pointed out, which Johnny immediately changed into a false frown. "Too late, bro, you smiled!"

"… Meh, I was happy at the end 'cause I beat him, alright?" Johnny said as if it were embarrassing to admit that he was happy after such a long time. _Dad, guess ya wanted me to move on somehow… and you sent me this guy, didn't you? Maybe… maybe there is an afterlife after all… I'll meet ya there, when it's my time. For now, I've gotta keep in living, that's what ya wanted me to learn… didn't ya, pops?_

"Uh… Johnny?" Alan waved a hand in front of his face.

"Before I go home today… let's get in one last Duel!" Johnny demanded with a grin.

"Hmph, just 'cause you beat that kid doesn't mean you're beating me!" Alan laughed alongside with Johnny. The two were friends that seemingly couldn't be separated by much, seeing as they had so much fun together only in the course of one day.

* * *

"Man, those were some good memories..." Johnny breathed in deeply, and then exhaled, looking at Rose with a new resolve within him. _If I'm going to win this Duel, I'm going to have to do something that I thought I'd never do for someone that's committed the crimes she's done..._

"Regardless, Johnny, all the shit spewing from your mouth isn't convincing me how much we are the same" Rose spat at Johnny, crossing her arms.

"See, we've both lost a loved one… Alan tried to reach out to me, and befriend me despite how much I wanted to kill him for touching me that first time I met him" Johnny chuckled, painfully staggering. "Through and through… we became best friends, and I eventually loved this game for what it is…" Johnny struggled to take the top card of his Deck.

"Hmph, talk is over with, Johnny! Make your pathetic move, I'll blow you away like the speck of dirt you are!" Rose commanded him.

_Turn 9_

"It's… my move!" Johnny swiped the new card from the top of his Deck, and he smiled at it. "Thanks you guys. I know y'all never let me down…" he looked at Rose, struggling to maintain a grin on his face.

"And just what the hell are you smiling about? Did you draw something to stall me? I'll break your defenses Johnny, so give up!" Rose spat, her unruly flames dancing around Johnny.

"This ain't a defense… It's time I made this move count!" Johnny revealed a Monster in his hand. "First off, I'll Summon my **Babycerasaurus**!" he commanded as a hatchling triceratops formed on the field, growling cutely.

Babycerasaurus: 500 Attack / 500 Defense | Level 2

"So you're betting your Life Points on that pathetic creature? Please! I've made better moves than that in my dreams!" Rose crossed her arms, feeling angered by seeing the cute creature on the field. She always hated things that were cute.

"That ain't how this Turn ends, Rose… This turn's gonna end with me winning this Duel!" Johnny revealed a Spell card in his hand, and a red aura surrounded his entire body. "Now, I'll activate the key card to my victory: **Rekindling**!" he commanded as his discard pile was set ablaze.

"Rekindling?"

"This Spell Card lets me Special Summon as many FIRE-Attribute Monsters with 200 Defense… And I've got three perfect targets in mind! Come on out, my three **Jurrac Aeolo**!" Johnny commanded as the flames gave birth to three baby hatchlings, all cooing next to the other hatchling.

Jurrac Aeolo: 200 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 1

"You guys ready?" the three hatchling Aeolo all nodded their heads as they burst into flames. "_Transcend Evolution_!" he commanded the name of their ability as they all grew into larger dinosaurs, one looking like a red-headed, green-bodied velociraptor, another looking like a smaller, red-skinned dinosaur. Finally, the third one, appeared to evolve into a yellow-skinned, savage dinosaur that roared mightily. "Heh… **Jurrac Velo**, **Jurrac Gallim**, and **Jurrac Guaiba** will all be Summoned!"

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

Jurrac Guaiba: 1700 Attack / 600 Defense | Level 4

Jurrac Gallim: 1200 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2

"Hmph, doesn't matter how many pathetic creatures you drag onto your Field, it doesn't change the fact that I've won this Duel!"

"Oh really now?" Johnny raised an eyebrow as the red aura around him didn't cease to fade, and his Wings of the Crimson Dragon birthmark glowed brightly once again. "I'm givin' it everything I've got this turn to break through to you, and let you know that I don't feel like seein' ya do something stupid… ya got me!"

"I don't care, Johnny! Why won't you see that I don't need you, or anyone else!" Rose shrilly yelled at him.

"What happened in the past, I dunno what happened to ya… but… I can't let my friends down! I can't let myself see someone else turn out like me!" Johnny reached out to Rose, and then clenched his fist as crimson flames shot from his body, pushing the darkness away from his body. Amongst the flames were images of his monsters, all of them roaring loudly with Meteo-Rage Dragon all the way in back, roaring louder than the rest!

_This will… this resolve… No… I won't… I won't be overtaken!_ "Beat me if you think you can, Johnny!" Rose yelled out in confidence.

"I _know_ I can win, Rose! I'll Tune this Level 4 Jurrac Velo, my Level 4 Jurrac Guaiba and the Level 2 Jurrac Gallim!" Johnny commanded as the red flames around him scattered into the air, creating ten orbs of crimson light that shot into the sky suddenly. "_Falling from the heavens like a shooting star! Flames of victory strike the earth!_" the clouds tore in half as the sky was then colored red.

"A Level 10 Synchro Summon!" Rose's eyes widened at the mere thought of it. This wasn't anywhere in her calculations!

"Synchro Summon! Rain, **Jurrac Meteor**!" Johnny commanded as a crystallized rock-formation shot down from the sky, it's impact coming closer and closer to being imminent!

Jurrac Meteor: 2800 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 10

"Jurrac Meteor's Monster Effect activates immediately! When he's Synchro Summoned… he destroys the entire Field!"

"Th-the entire Field?" Rose repeated as the crystallized rock descended upon their battlefield, closer and closer. The blazing intensity of the rock could be felt, making all the monsters on the field groan with displeasure.

"Yeah… Just like what I needed to do to ya, I need to give ya a clean slate… To take someone in, you've gotta forgive the stuff they've done…" Johnny smiled at Rose.

"… Forgiveness, huh?" Rose watched as the meteor impacted the battlefield, releasing a large wave of flames that made all of her monsters scream with agony as they all shattered into tiny pixels.

Babycerasaurus and Johnny's face-down card were both immediately annihilated in the blast as well, completely erasing what the field originally looked like. All that was left was the cracks on the ground, and the wounds that Johnny suffered through the Duel. "Now, the effect of my Jurrac Meteor then lets me Special Summon a "Jurrac" Tuner Monster from the graveyard… Come on back, **Jurrac** **Aeolo**!" he explained as a small spark of flames formed, giving birth to a new Jurrac Aeolo.

Jurrac Aeolo: 200 Attack / 200 Defense

"Wait… that thing's effect…" Rose gasped.

"The effect of my Babycerasaurus also activates in the grave! When he's destroyed by a card effect… I Special Summon a Dinosaur-Type in my Deck! Come on out, **Jurrac Plessie**!" Johnny roared in command as a very long-necked, finned dinosaur with a sleek blue skin color and flame-like design on its sides.

Jurrac Plessie: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"Now, the effect of my Jurrac Aeolo activates in the graveyard! I'll evolve him into my Jurrac Velo!" Johnny commanded as the baby suddenly burst into flames, transcending into the rainbow-skinned velociraptor!

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"Those two… they fill the conditions for…"

"The last Synchro Summon for this turn… I'll Tune the Level 4 Jurrac Velo to my Level 4 Jurrac Plessie!" Johnny commanded as four rings encircled four orbs of light. "_Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact!_ Synchro Summon! Break, **Meteo-Rage Dragon**!" red flames formed in the middle of the field as it then gave birth to the creation of Johnny's Signer Dragon once more! It took flight again, unfolding its wings as it roared mightily.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense.

"Now, the effect of my Jurrac Plessie goes off in the graveyard! When she's used for a Synchro Summon, and that monster happens to be a Dinosaur-Type and FIRE-Attribute… I pay 400 Life Points to give it a 400 Point Boost!" Johnny commanded as flames encircled his dragon, and it roared with awesome strength!

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3000 Attack / 2000 Defense

Johnny: 100

"Johnny, that's not enough to take me down… When your turn's done… when your turn's done, I'll make you pay for what you did to my soul!" Rose barked with her fists clenched a little loosely now.

"I wouldn't be betting on that any time soon... I'll activate this Trap Card in my graveyard!" Johnny commanded as a vortex opened, revealing a purple card. "**Skill Successor**… I blew it up in my last turn when I was getting rid of your monsters" he grinned slyly. "Looks like you ain't the only one with an ace-in-the-hole!"

"Wait… with Skill Successor…" Rose's eyes widened in disbelief and disgust! No other word could describe how she felt at that moment.

"Now, I remove it from play… and my Meteo-Rage Dragon here powers up by 800 Points!" the flames around Meteo-Rage Dragon intensified as it soared into the heavens, it's flames forming an aura around it!

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3800 Attack / 2000 Defense

"This is it Rose, the finishing move! My flames of hope will vanquish your flames of despair!" Johnny threw an air punch at her. "I kept my end of the bet, so it looks like… you're sidin' with the Signers! Meteo-Rage Dragon, direct attack! _Meteor Blaze_!" the dragon heeded his command, ascending at great speeds as it then spun around. Quickly, the dragon took a nose-dive towards Rose with a charge of flames gathering in its mouth. The blast of flames then shot forth directly at her, with nothing to stop it!

"…" Rose accepted it. It was her defeat, no matter how hard she'd have to swallow it. The flames completely covered her entirely, and the sounds of her Duel Disk decreasing her Life Points echoed to her.

Rose: 0

Johnny: 100

"Looks like that's… the end of that!" Johnny raised the peace sign with a grin across his face. "Looks like now… you're with us" he walked over to her, his dragon roaring behind him as it then suddenly vanished alongside the rest of the solid vision system. It was over. That fight, their dispute, it ended. The dark clouds, they vanished, unveiling the sun in its majestic form, the light overcoming the dark clouds_._

* * *

Within the dark alley, Levis began to chuckle a little as the very top card of his Tarot Card Deck began to shine, piercing through the darkness. He swiped the card from the top of the deck, not looking at it for a few moments as he closed his gold and blue eyes. _Fate seems to be telling me something... Perhaps..._ Levis opened his eyes, looking at his tarot card as his lips curled into a smirk while his gold and blue eye both glowed with some sort of strange excitement. "Looks like the games are about to finally begin…" he whispered to himself as his eye reflected the image of a creature's wings unfolding. "And this time… no survivors if either side's to win… Hehehe…. Hahahaha!" a single black feather soared into the sky. "This war… has only _just_ begun!" his voice echoed mysteriously into the day as the feathers danced with intent.

* * *

Author's Note: Phew, I was finally able to decide whether or not to upload this chapter early, and in the full 13,000+ Word majesty. ^^ Well, I hope you enjoy the season finale of this fiction! ^^

Disclaimer: You already know the drill, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's at all! If I did, you'd probably be seeing the awesomeness of Johnny's Jurracs... IN 3-D! XD

And you'd see Dinosaurs on frickin' Motorcycles... Yeah... that'll be epic!


End file.
